


He Was Never Mine

by bedlinens



Category: Friday Night Lights
Genre: Complete, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-04
Updated: 2011-10-04
Packaged: 2017-10-24 07:56:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 28,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/260917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bedlinens/pseuds/bedlinens
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nearly ten years after leaving high school, Lyla reflects upon Tim and how he found his match in Julie. Told through Lyla's POV, with some flashbacks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Of Breakdown And Confession

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story I finished in January 2009, but I'm finally crossposting it here. Also, I haven't watched season 3, but I will one day. So basically this is an AU starting after season 2.

It was just your average morning. Lyla woke up at seven in order to polish a paper that was due in the afternoon, but she didn't feel stressed. She had done a good job; she had plenty of data to back it up: everything was just perfect. She was going to ace that class, just like she was going to get her degree easily. Sure, it felt a little weird, being the oldest student (or that was what it felt like) of her promotion, being 27 and all, but there was no way she would ever regret postponing going to college in order to spend 6 years in India building all those houses.

People made fun of her when she announced her project, and she was told on more than one occasion that being a Christian didn't mean she had to devout her life in such an extreme fashion. Though, that was to be expected from small-town people. Sure, their football team rocked and made them part of the sport circuit but when it came to any other type of sensibilities, they remained small town people from Texas, as cliché as it might sound. They really thought she was going away to prepare her path to nunnery but she just went looking for herself in India. After Jason had been hurt, and after their relationship went sour, she needed to mourn a future she had pictured for herself ever since she was 12. It took her a long time to realize that was what her trip was about, but in the end, she just really needed to deal with the consequences of Jason's injury. It wasn't until she found herself in Mumbai that she really saw it, and it took even longer for her to grasp that concept.

She would always cherish the time she had spent in India: when nobody had cared that she was Lyla-freaking-Garrity. But when her mother had remarried and her father had been injured in a car accident, she had felt like she had to come back to Texas and complete her education. Her brother and sister were growing up and they needed their older sister not to be a complete stranger, so she went to A&M. She was pursuing a psychology degree and hoped to find a job in some kind of shelter to be able to help lost people finding their way again.

Mrs Taylor had always been such a great help for her whenever she came to her, looking for a piece of advice or just a general clue about life. People thought that Lyla's religious awakening had made her immune to life and death considerations, but it hadn't. Her faith was her strength, something that helped her remember that she was one of God's children, and that whatever was happening next was His will, but in the end, the future was still a scary prospect. Knowing that you were supposed to go through one's trial was a thing, but knowing whether you were going through it the right way was never assured. Lyla was really looking forward to being able to help others the same way she had been when she was younger.

After getting herself a coffee refill, Lyla grabbed the day's newspaper and started browsing it. World news was always depressing, so she just peeked at it before opening the local section. She was delighted to find a small piece about her father's expanding business. Santiago had gotten a degree at the local community college and then had gone to work for Buddy, becoming his best salesman and his most trustworthy ally. When Buddy had felt like he was becoming too old to keep it running by himself, Santiago had offered to take on half of the business and everybody benefited in the end. He had been bringing new blood to her father's beloved car ownership deal, and the transition had been a smooth one.

God blessed Santiago, he had really been an angel in disguise, and she could never have foreseen how important he would have become to her father. He had been the one thing keeping Buddy from going crazy after her parents' divorce, but she hadn't seen it until later. She had been too pissed at Buddy for his extramarital affair, topped by regular teenage-y resentment she had felt for both her parents, to see how lost her father had been. Santiago had helped him find his way again, becoming his priority for a while, when he had needed his attention to be distracted from the mess that his family life had become. Santiago had been a true blessing. He had taken care of her siblings as if they were his own while she had been in India. He had even coached Lil' Buddy all the way through high school, and when he had made on the football team, the young Mexican had been as proud as Buddy himself.

She knew that her father still nursed the hope that his eldest daughter would realize what a catch that young man was and marry him, making him Buddy's son-in-law. Tabby hadn't fallen in love with Santiago even though she was the Garrity girl he had met the most, but that was easily explained by the fact that she had fallen in love extremely early, with a younger boy named Bo. It had been a Dillon scandalous match because of the age difference, but it hadn't caused a ruckus comparable to the one made when the whole town had discovered the truth about Tim Riggins and... Well, that was a story for another time, Lyla thought, her heart beating madly. She briefly cursed herself for behaving like a 15-years old, and tried to get back to her reading.

She was browsing the art section (how could they refer to summaries of the latest tabloids as "art"? She couldn't figure) when her roommate finally emerged from her own bedroom. Holly was, all things considered the best roomate Lyla had been paired with so far. She was quiet, didn't throw any wild parties and didn't bring back too many boys. She was majoring in science and was very focused on her grades. The first few months, the two girls had simply cohabited together, in a comfortable manner, and they later started talking and getting to know each other more.

"Good morning!" Holly exclaimed; half yawning while seating she seated herself with Lyla at the kitchen's table.

"Sleep well?"

"Like a baby, as always. How long have you been up?"

"Half an hour I guess, maybe more."

"Catching up on news and gossip?" Holly asked; glancing at the newspaper.

"Yep, there's a small piece about my father's deal; it's going great!"

Lyla started peeling back the leaves in order ro show her friends said article.

"Wait... Did the Dallas Cowboys win last night? I didn't get a chance to see the results..."

She opened the newspaper at the sport section for her to see, and Lyla couldn't help but grimace when she saw the main picture. It was showing Tim Riggins in his football gear, with his arm raised in victory.

Holly whistled with admiration.

"What a fine piece of man. You know, I have very little respect for sportsmen; but if this one was to look twice my way, I would totally change my mind and become his most hardcore fan."

" So you tell me each time we come across his picture..."

"Yeah, and you always clam up afterwards, and I'm not sure why? Once, you admitted that you went to high school with him, but that's all I know. What's the story there, Lyla Garrity?"

She sighed heavily and got up to rinse her cup.

"I need to proof-read my paper to make sure it's fine", she clearly avoided.

She went back to her bedroom and got her computer. She brought it back in the living room to get a better internet connection and started working on her paper while Holly finished her breakfast. She checked her emails quickly and saw that she had one from her sister. She almost chocked when she opened the picture attached to it.

"What? What is it? Holly asked, making her way to the computer.

At first, Lyla felt like she was going to hyperventilate, but she quickly got a hold of herself and just sighed.

"It feels like he's everywhere today. I was thinking about home, and I thought of him. His picture was in the paper, and you want to know more about him. It's like I can't fight him or it or whatever. But why today? What makes today so special."

"Who?" Holly asked. "Oh, I see.", she said after glancing at the pictures that had had her roommate breaking down.

She rose to seat next to her friend on the sofa and asked:

"Lyla, what's the story with you and Tim Riggins? Why is your sister sending you pictures of him and another girl?"

"Actually, she's just sending pictures from a party that was thrown back home. And it's a long story."

"If you want to tell me about it, I've got all the time in the world." Holly said. "Do you want to talk about it? I won't force you to if you don't feel like it.

"I know, but I guess him being everywhere is just God's kinda obvious way to tell me to open up about my past. Doesn't He have better things to worry about?"

"What's that Christian saying again? The ways of the Lord…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You're preaching to the choir here. It's just that, in the end, he was never mine…"

Holly got them both fresh cups of coffee before sitting in front of her roommate. Lyla started reminding her about things that she already knew, like Jason's accident and what it had done to their relationship. She learnt about Lyla's first affair with Jay's best friend, Tim, and how badly it had ended.

She then proceeded to tell her about his second campaign to win her heart.

"He showed up at the station where I worked, with flowers, though I never got those. He was just … everywhere. And at some point, I realized I wouldn't have it any other way. I loved how he always was in my face, how I could rely on him. The first time around, we had slept together, just seeking comfort, it was filled with desperation. He had tried to get me to stay with him, but now I know that I only felt real sincere love the second time around. We started dating in senior year, and at first, it felt like it was meant to be. The weirdest thing that happened was that Jason Street actually gave us his blessing? It was unexpected, but at the same time, it had never felt truer."

"Sounds perfect", Holly whispered; "but wasn't it just the honeymoon-phase thingy?"

"I guess it was, in a way, but it didn't stop altogether. It was progressive. When he had gotten in a very bad place with his brother, Tim once found himself living at the Coach's place, with his family. The pictures my sister sent me were taken at a party at the Taylor's house. Tim had gotten chased out of the house for something he hadn't done, but I never learned this tid bit until maybe two years ago. The Coach had misunderstood a scene he had witnessed, when Tim had put Julie, that would be the Coach's oldest daughter, to bed after she had had too much beer over a boy. The Coach thought it wasn't that innocent and had thrown Tim out. He had this reputation…. Well, let's face it, he was a womanizer, Dillon's manwhore, the one girls would always rely on to get laid. Anyway, it wasn't true but Tim had gone back to live with his brother. Yet, he stayed really close to the Taylor family. He even bonded with baby Gracie Bell. The Coach's wife would have him over for dinner at least once a week, but I didn't learn about it until we had been seriously dating for a little less than three months. The Coach's Wife, Tami cornered me at lunch hour and told me that she would be glad if I finally joined her family for dinner the next Thursday, when Tim would come."

"What was she doing at school?"

"She was a counselor there before she got the principal's job."

"She's the counselor who inspired your vocation, right?"

"Exactly. Anyway, she truly had no idea that Tim hadn't been relaying her invitation to me but I went along with the lie or omission Tim had been feeding the both of us and pretended that this Thursday, I would make an effort to be there. When I next saw Tim, I told him about the invitation and my promise to show up. We didn't fight over this, even though it was what I had thought would happen because he just never felt like he had been caught lying. In his mind, he just wasn't, he really thought he was doing all the "boyfriend" things and duties, since he sometimes had dinner with my family and I sometimes dined with his brother, Billy and his fiancée Mindy. He just didn't think that his weekly dinner at the Coach's was something we had to do together. I guess or rather I realized later that since we had agreed that we had different routines, with me going to church every Sunday and working at the radio station; and him going to practice and all, he felt like his evening at the Taylors' fell under the "routine" etiquette/label. It wasn't a chore or anything for him, far from it and I guess that's one of the reasons he was so reluctant to let me in on it."

"Did you go to the Taylors' that Thursday? What about the following one?"

"First, let me tell you about that first Thursday. I was really nervous, and as if to spook me more, so was he. Looking back, everything makes sense, but then, oh boy, it just didn't. Ever since we had gotten together, he had been cool with everything, whether to wait until we rekindled our sexual relationship or the fact that I wanted to set rules, but on that day, in his truck, he was so… un-cool. He was fidgety and everything, so nervous, almost as an expectant father is in the delivery room…."

"Like my brother Stu when Pearl was giving birth, I get the picture. That kind of nervous makes me nervous too, and it also annoys the crap outta me."

"Exactly. He was making me edgy, and I also wanted to physically hurt him. The Taylors tried to seem oblivious to the tension radiating from us when we finally made it to their door, but Tami knows best. It's like the most reliable rule in Dillon Country. She tried to make me feel welcome in her home, but it wasn't an easy job, because, obviously, there was a lot of things I had been missing."


	2. The Dinner At the Taylors

_Flashback_

"Come in! Come in" Tami exclaimed upon seeing them. "Eric is putting the final touch to his chili, but it won't take long. I made some garlic bread for starters with the sauce my momma used to make, you won't be disappointed."

Tim and Lyla both entered the house, right into the living room where Tami offered to take their coats. Lyla looked around her, she hadn't really been in the Taylors' household except during the few times the Coach had organized parties for the whole town, much to Tami's dismay. It felt homey enough, but she couldn't help but notice that it lacked her own house's air of grandeur. It shouldn't have mattered, since home was where the heart was and all that, but she would have thought that the town would have provided its beloved Coach with much better housing.

A squeal of delight could be heard, and Tim let go of her waist to move towards the baby in her bouncy seat.

"Hey there Gracie Bell!" He said, holding out his hand for her to grip.

She could barely hold two of his fingers in her small paw but that didn't take down her enthusiasm.

Looking at the baby, Lyla couldn't help but remember how her brother and sister had look like at the same age. She had been much younger herself back then and for some reason, she remembered them as little monkeys, but looking at Gracie, she thought it must have been the puberty speaking and dismay at not being an only child anymore. Little Gracie was a really cute baby, and she obviously was really fond of Tim, just as he seemed to be smitten with her. She was sporting this broad smile and his truly matched. He had lowered down a little to be to her eye-level.

"Somebody's got a crush," she said with a smile.

He blushed while the baby gurgled. "She just knows who I am," he tried to brush it off.

"Timmy!" The baby enunciated quite eloquently.

He grimaced briefly, then smiled brightly at the little girl.

"You know, Gracie, I liked it better when you were in your doubling phase."

"Tim-my!" she babbled again, raising one of her chubby hands to his face, resting it on his cheek.

"Her doubling phase? What was that?" Lyla asked, stepping back a little so as not to intrude on their bonding time.

"When she started talking, I don't know, I guess she noticed that a lot of pet names were the same 2 syllables, like Mama, and dadda, kinda… She would call Julie Ju-Ju, much to her dismay, and I was Tim-Tim. Silly, I know, but I liked Tim-Tim a lot better than Timmy."

"Look who got reunited with her favorite teddy bear again!" Julie exclaimed, emerging from her bedroom. "Timmy is here! Isn't it swell, Gracie?"

"Timmy's 'ere!" The baby mimicked, pulling the boy's hair.

"Hello Ju-Ju," Tim said with his trademark smirk. "By any chance, do you have anything to do with my new nickname?"

"You can lie to yourself but you can't lie to me, and I know that you secretly love being called Timmy, so yeah. I spent some time teaching Gracie your secret favorite pet name. Aren't you glad I did? Oh, hey Lyla", Julie exclaimed, blushing, as she finally noticed the girl was there.

Lyla was feeling completely out of the loop… Last she heard, Tami and Eric were fighting tooth and nails for Julie to take more responsibility and spend more time with her little sister. And now she was wasting time teaching her new ways to greet Tim? But she decided to keep it simple and said:

"Hey Julie, how are you?"

"Fine, fine. Are my folks in the kitchen?"

"Yeah, both of them," Tim answered. "Should we be worried?"

"I don't know… Have you been getting bad grades lately? Because Mom did swear that she would wring your neck if you went back to your previous devious ways… Since your neck is so thick, maybe she'll try and poison you instead."

Tim and Julie looked at each other very seriously for a few seconds, as if silently weighing if he deserved to be poisoned, and then burst out laughing.

"No, we shouldn't be worried", Julie finally said, "they are just trying to come up with a subtle way to ask you about the scholarship you may try to pursue. I heard them talking about it before you arrived."

Lyla, who was getting more and more confused with the silent then vocal conversation tried to get back on train and said:

"If you need help with your grades…."

"Don't worry, it's being taken care of," Tim cut her off, raising his hand with authority.

"Ouch!" he exclaimed when Gracie tugged on his hair.

"Tim-my! Tim-my!"

"Oh come on!" Julie exclaimed smirking, "don't be shy. Just take her in your arms. Lyla won't be jealous, will you?"

Lyla hesitated a little then gestured for Tim to fetch the baby, before crossing her arms on her chest.

Gracie started cooing in delight when she got where she had wanted to be all along, in Tim's arms. She clapped her hands then put them both on his face. She even gave him a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"Look who finally got reunited with the love of her life!" Tami said, coming back in the living room. "I'm sorry if you didn't know," she said to Lyla, "but even if you are Tim's girlfriend, you will never be his number one fan!"

"Yeah, obviously Gracie is," Lyla said, trying to smile, shifting on her feet, wondering why she felt a little a little hurt by that comment. She wasn't Tim #1 fan, was she supposed to be? Was it wrong for her to be annoyed that a one-year old was claiming that title?

"Even I get jealous sometimes," Eric said showing up too. "Not of Gracie of course, but of Tim. Gracie is my daughter, shouldn't she be worshipping me instead?"

"It's the Riggins' charm," Tim smirked. "Sorry Coach."

"Everything is ready, we can start eating", Tami said.

The rest of the evening was even more surreal for Lyla who had trouble keeping up with what appeared to be casual conversation. For example, Tim and the Taylors had inside jokes, that Tami tried to explain every time. Lyla could feel that they were also trying to hold back some bits that would take too long to get her caught up on. They talked to her and asked her about her life as if she was a part of the family, but she knew she wasn't. She was a little sad that Tim was never the one to explain the inside jokes, and it reinforced her thinking that he hadn't really wanted her to come.

There was also an undeniable tension in the air between the two guest teenagers. At some point, Julie, who had been bickering with Tim all dinner long, had gone to her bedroom to fetch something. She handed Tim a check and a greeting card.

"Woah, Julie, you know you don't need to pay for my company," he had said.

"Dumbass," she commented, rolling her eyes with exasperation. "It's from Grandma Ruby. She always sends some cash around Thanksgiving time, and she sent you a check too this year. Read the card."

"What does it say?" Lyla asked.

"Grandma Ruby wishes me a happy holiday season and says that she wants me to cash in this check because of this one occasion when I saved Julie from something bad."

"Cryptic much?" Lyla thought. She could see that he was summing up the actual text so that she wouldn't know what it was really about.

She felt courage run through her veins, fuelled by her annoyance and asked: "What occasion?"

"Let's not talk about it now," Eric intervened. "You should take that check. If you don't, she will just start sending more until you give in."

"Okay, I guess. Can you thank her for me?"

"No problem," Julie said. "I was waiting until I had given you her note before calling to thank her, I figured you would want me to pass the message."

"Thanks Jules."

"Who's Grandma Ruby?" Lyla couldn't help but inquire.

"Sorry," Julie offered with a contrite face, "it must be a little weird for you. Ruby is Daddy's aunt. But she's always been more of a grandma than just a great-aunt to me. She came to visit some time ago, after Gracie's baptism. She took a liking to Tim, you know, the Riggins charm is always at work."

"How come we never saw her in town?" Lyla asked.

"Ruby's a wonderful woman, she practically raised me and I adore her," Eric said. "Don't get me wrong on that, but I felt like I would lose a lot of my Coach Charisma and Credibility if people saw me with Ruby."

"You should know that Ruby isn't afraid to speak her mind, and she often gives Daddy an earful. She was extremely pissed about the TMU thing, and she made it very clear, on more than just one occasion. Then she was annoyed about other things that either the three of us did. I mean, it seriously felt like she was only here to chastise us, though Daddy was the one who gets his ear pinched the most. The only one she was happy with when it came to adults was Tim. Dad didn't want his players to see him get scolded like a naughty schoolboy by Ruby, that's the reason we tried to get her to stay inside the house most of the time. Maybe, when she'll visit next, if we haven't been doing too much stupid things, the town will get to meet her."

"Though I have a feeling she would end up scolding a lot of people she's just not related to…," Tim said. "Remember when she got on Mrs. Flenderson's case? That was an earful, and a painful one."

"What gave you the right to come and prattle to Eric about the Riggins boy visit? "Tami exclaimed in a high pitched voice, putting her clenched fists on her hips (much to Gracie's delight who clapped her chubby hands at her moms' performance), huffing exuberantly, clearly imitating Ruby's rant. "What make you think that he's was trying to get into Julie's pants? For all you know, since you're not an insider to our family, maybe I was the one smuggling the boy in, maybe it's my pants he's after, and now, thanks to you, I won't be getting any anymore. Really, woman, what happened to minding your own business? Just because you got a boring life and a lazy husband that doesn't give you the kind of loving you're craving, it doesn't make it alright for you to spy on your neighbours. And if you get so bored looking out the window is the only distraction you have, well, there's more than one Riggins boy. His brother may be able to quench your boredom. And maybe then people will be able to live their lives the way they want without worrying about your constant spying. Tim, when you get back home, tell your brother that Mrs I'm-the-all-knowing-eye-since-I-spy-all-the-time-Flenderson will be expecting a house call."

They all laughed while Lyla tried to chuckle convincingly.

"Billy later told me that whenever they would cross paths, Mrs Flenderson would look at him like he was a piece of meat. It still gives him the serious creep," Tim said.

"Why were you there in the first place?" she asked.

"My father was crashing at the Ranch and I just didn't feel like being there when he was. So the Coach offered me to stay on the couch here until my father went MIA again."

"So you were there when Grandma Ruby was visiting?"

"We came to an agreement," Eric offered, "as long as he didn't tell anyone in town about my relative visiting, he could hide from his own here. He held his end of the bargain, and more since you never told anybody about all those stories about my childhood you learnt from her stay.

"It never was an option to me. When I came to stay for the second time here, you said something about having each other's back around all those crazy women, and it still stands as far as I'm concerned," Tim said.

Eric beamed proudly at him while Tami slapped his arm and Julie got an outraged look on her face.

"Crazy women?" Tami said. "Thanks Honey, that's just… lovely. Come on Gracie."

"I'm so telling Grandma Ruby you called us that!" Julie said. "Both of you will have to deal with her!"

Both men got wide-eyes and started muttering explanations, trying to come up with a decent excuses or anything that would get them out of the heap of trouble they had unknowingly thrown themselves in, but Lyla wasn't really listening.

She couldn't get past the familiarity the scene was shining. Tim was completely comfortable there, sitting next to Mrs Taylor, bantering with Julie, joking with the Coach and making face at Lil' Gracie. She had never seen him that relaxed outside of his own bedroom or even on the field. It almost felt like he belonged there, at least for the night and she just didn't. She was willing to try to fit in harder, if it meant seeing Tim this free, careless and young.

After trying to mop the mess they had made insulting the Taylor women the best they could, both men offered to clean up the table and then headed to play some ping-pong. Gracie started fussing a little and Tami went to get her to bed, leaving Lyla and Julie to do the dishes. They worked in silence, efficiently.

"So, Julie," Lyla started, "I heard that Matt Saracen was trying to get back in your good graces. How do you feel about it?"

"Mostly like it's none of your business, quite frankly." Collecting herself for a moment, Julie spoke again with what sounded like a sincere apology. "I'm sorry, Lyla, I don't want to be rude, but just because you were invited to tag along with Tim doesn't make us best friends. It doesn't even make us friends. You did cry on my shoulder when Jason got injured, but you never talked to me afterwards. I don't resent you for that, I get it."

"I never meant to hurt your feelings…"

"You didn't. I'm just trying to make you see that you and I never connected, and if you tag along each time Tim is over, well that still won't make us friends. Besides, as you know, Tyra is my best girl."

"And Tyra hates me."

"Hate is a strong word, but you never will get along, not in foreseen-able future. The thing is, she will be annoyed to hear that we had dinner, and I'm afraid she'll feel a little jealous too. I don't want her to worry that she could lose our friendship each time you come over, so I'm putting down a line. I'm willing to be friendly, but don't you dare ask about my private life like we're pals. We just aren't."

Though she felt a little disheartened by Julie's speech, Lyla had to admit that it made sense. They weren't friends. Julie was Tyra's best friend. She might hang out with Lois from time to time, but when it came to friendship, Tyra and Julie were as close as soul mates could get. She decided that she would try her best not to do anything that might cause trouble between the two girls. Julie had been a positive influence on Tyra, helping her realize that she had a great potential. She also had tampered down the girl most of the time (except during the Powderpuff season when Tyra had been legitimate in her violence, so that didn't count). They had a good thing going on. Lyla just had never thought that she could be putting Julie in a bad situation, between a rock and a hard place.

"I understand," she finally said. "I'm sorry I intruded on your private life. I guess I was just trying to make conversation."

"Wait for my mom to come back. She'll try and chat you up 'til you find yourself begging for mercy."

And that's what they did. They finished the dishes in silence until Lyla said: "Thank you for taking the time to explain a few of your private jokes to me. I learned a lot of things about Tim tonight."

Julie looked a little surprised, especially after having given the girl such a stern lecture on their non-friendship, but she got over it.

"You're welcome; If Mom doesn't do it, I will chastise him for not taking the time to explain those things. I may not be Grandma Ruby but I still could give him hell for his manners," she winked.

Lyla laughed a little, glad to be in on at least that one private joke.

"Besides, being Tyra's best friend, I'm sure you've seen her telling people off. You could draw inspiration from her technique", Lyla offered.

"Definitely. I could come up with a combined technique, inspired by Ruby and Tyra."

"It will be nothing short of a deadly weapon", Lyla agreed.

"What would be?" Tami asked, joining the girls in the kitchen.

"We were comparing Ruby's and Tyra's styles for giving hell", Julie explained.

"Would Tyra have any reason to give you hell?" Tami asked cautiously.

"Not really. She just saw Matt make his way to me after lunch, to talk to me, and she was not okay with that," Julie shrugged it off.

"Were you okay with that?"

"He has a girlfriend, Mom, so don't be like that. I think he just misses our friendship. I'm just not sure I miss as much as he does. Is Dad grilling Tim about the A&M scholarship as we speak?" she abruptly changed subject.

"Yeah. We figures there was no point talking about it during dinner, putting him on the spot like that. When the boys are playing ping-pong, they're more relaxed; Eric will listen to Tim's thoughts on the subject and he will be able to give him advices without sounding like the Dillon's Panthers Coach."

"Ah, the magic of Ping-pong…." Julie sing-songed. "Oh, wait, Gracie's forgotten her blue thingy... I'll bring it to her."

"Thanks Honey," Tami said while the blonde disappeared. "I don't know if your siblings were the same at the same age, but if she wakes up without that toy, there'll be hell to pay tomorrow."

Lyla chuckled. Tami started inquiring about her college plans and about her family. It was easy to talk to her because she was always so supportive. Forty minutes later, Eric and Tim emerged from the garage, a little sweaty but with an accomplished look on both of their faces.

"Good game?" Tami asked with a smile.

"We ended it on a tie. The boy should get some sleep if he wants to be any good on the field tomorrow."

"Do you mind if I freshen up before we go?" Tim asked.

"Sure Honey. You know where everything is."

"I'll be just a minute," he told Lyla. "I just want to splash on some water before we leave."

He kissed her briefly then flew to the bathroom. Eric started asking about Buddy's and Santiago's cohabitation.

"I'm kinda afraid ten years from now they'll still be re-enacting 'the Odd Couple'", Lyla said. "They get along so well in the end, Dad seems to have gotten used to all the things that are changing, like Mom's upcoming nuptials, so it's great."

Tami asked about her feelings toward her future-stepfather, and the girl had to sigh. She then proceeded to confide in the Taylors about the up and down of her own cohabitation. Time flew by as she opened her heart, and when the clock rang 11 PM, she jumped: "Oh my, here I am keeping you up. Tomorrow is a big day, we should let you get some sleep! What happened to Tim, I thought he was just freshening up…"

"He's probably in Julie's room, "Eric said.

Lyla felt amazed by how relaxed the Coach was describing what had to be most Dillon's fathers worst nightmare.

"It's okay." Tami explained when she saw her startled expression. "They have the same English teacher, and sometimes, they like to discuss their respective assignments. At first, I thought I was hallucinating too, but when Tim came to live with us, they kinda bonded. Since Julie was freakingout about the literature paper she has due tomorrow, I'm guessing she asked him for his opinion. You can go check for yourself."

"I believe you, I really do, but I think that's something I have to see with my own eyes," Lyla said.

"Go ahead."

Lyla ventured in the corridor, as quietly as possible when she had to pass Gracie's room, then silently popped her head in Julie's room. Tami had been right, they both were installed on the girl's bed, in front of her laptop, and they were surrounded by what had to be Julie's notes. Though, they seemed to be done with the English paper: Julie was telling a story in hushed tones, with laughter in her eyes, making lots of hand gestures. Tim was smirking, in a content way. When Julie got to the punch line of her story, he chuckled lightly.

"Don't laugh!" She exclaimed. "It was so embarrassing. You never want to be in the same room as Matt and Tyra, she looked like she could have murdered him with her bare hands, and he was painfully aware of that. He kept throwing me glances like I could do something, but I'm not her leash holder, I'm just her friend."

"You're not just her friend, you know. You're probably the closest thing she's had to a BFF" Tim raised his hands to motion quotes "as you girls say. She would do anything to protect you, even if it meant killing Dillon's beloved QB1. Besides, he was being an obnoxious ass. I would have kicked him if I had witnessed that kind of shitty behavior."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Twice. Once on my behalf and once on yours."

"Thank you," Julie whispered before dropping her head on his shoulder.

He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before wrapping his arm around her.

Feeling like she had intruded enough on their privacy, Lyla took a step back and called out: "Have you seen Tim?" before pushing the bedroom's door open a few seconds later.

"Hey Lyla," Tim said with both his hands on his knees. "Sorry I kept you waiting. I was just comparing with Julie the English paper we have due tomorrow."

"It's okay. I was chatting with the Taylors and didn't notice you were gone. Shouldn't we be heading back?"

"Yes, we should. Thank you for discussing that paper with me Jules," he said, jumping off her bed.

"No problem, have a good night Lyla."

"Yeah, you too."

"Don't let stupid asses get you down," Tim said when on the bedroom's step. "Remember, clear eyes, full hearts, …"

"Shut up Tim-my."

"Night Ju-ju."

They said their goodbyes rapidly and then found themselves riding his truck back to her place. After a while, she said: "That was an interesting evening."

"Most evenings at the Taylors' are," he commented.

She could feel uneasiness pouring out of him and said:

"It's okay, Tim, I get it. I'm not mad you didn't bring me over sooner. I get that the Taylors' is the place you can find peace of mind. They love you and you love them. You fit there, and I'm glad. It's a little sad you're not closer to your own family but I'm glad you found a second one where you feel good."

He was watching her very seriously.

"I … love the Taylors", he finally said. "They took me in when nobody else would, and they keep taking me in whenever I need it. When Billy threw me out, everybody else was looking the other way, not caring about what was going to happen to me. You did too." She blushed because he was right. "But like Jay. The Coach didn't."

She could hear the devotion and admiration in his voice.

"I get that," she said. "And it's fine with me. You bonded with them as a whole and you found a place where you truly belong. That's really great. And because I love you, too, I will not tag along with you to these dinners. Maybe, sometime in the future, you'll ask me to come with you because you want me there, but right now, I get that it's a part of you that needs to be just that, yours."

"Thank you", he whispered, pulling his arm around her neck and getting her to rest her head against his shoulder.

It kind of hurt to let him keep this huge part of him secret, but Lyla knew she was making the right decision if they wanted their relationship to last. She comforted herself by breathing him in: his masculine scent always cheered her up. Except this time: he smelled like baby powder and raspberries? She pondered bringing it up but just couldn't hold it back anymore:

"Hem, Tim? I don't mean to be rude or anything, but did you change shampoo or something? Because I'm pretty sure you don't usually smell like that."

"Like what? " He asked, before sniffing his shoulder. "Oh. The Baby powder is Gracie's."

"And the fruity perfume?"

"I don't know. Maybe Mrs T.'s, or Julie's. Probably Julie's. No big deal. I hugged a lot of people tonight. But have no worries, I'll be back to my manly perfume soon enough."

"Yeah, Mrs Taylor told me you have bonded with her too. Was the Saracen business making her miserable? I know he wants her back," Lyla said.

"You can't always get what you want. Besides, I thought you were above gossiping."

She kept her mouth shut for the remainder of the trip back home. He was obviously devoted to all the Taylors, no exception. She could only hope and pray that one day he would be as devoted to her as he was to them.

 _End flashback_


	3. The New And More Honest Routine

"I shouldn't have held my breath" Lyla said, bitterly.

"Did things go sour from there?" Holly asked. "Did he ever ask you to come with him to the Taylors?"

"Except from maybe two occasions when the whole town gathered there for some pre-game celebrations, I never stepped into that house again as Tim's girlfriend. I've been there a couple of times, but we were over and had been for some time. We stayed together almost three months after the dinner at the Taylors. It felt a little weird, because when he had been with his first steady girlfriend, he had trouble with monogamy, they kept fooling around with others. With me, he was faithful, sexually at least. Emotionally, he had a mistress, the whole Taylor clan, but I couldn't complain about it, I had agreed to that situation, hoping that he would either dump them or open up to me completely.

"Anyway, now I knew about how close he was to the Coach's family, we settled into a new, more honest routine. Church and radio station for me, football and his new family for him. The rest of the time we could be together. However, knowing that he was eligible for an A&M scholarship, I started monitoring, in what I hoped was a discrete fashion, his grades. They were mostly good, especially his English one. I guess brain storming with Julie was really paying off, because he had never had so high grades, even when the Rally girls were doing his homework for him. I remember being awestruck one day, after we had just had sex, when I spotted two books he had borrowed from the library on his desk. Reading had never been his hobby. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't an idiot, but he had been raised to believe that only football and a sport scholarship would prevent him from becoming some lame hillbilly, like his father. I even remember the titles from those books, there was 'The Lost World' by Arthur Conan Doyle, and 'A Prayer For Owen Meany' by John Irving. The first one I knew and seemed like a good read for him, but I didn't know much about the second one. I tried to engage in some conversation on that one, he told me it was the story about a friendship between two guys, that it dealt with the Vietnam War and other topics. He told me that it was making him realize all the things he had done wrong with Jay. I felt like we had made a great jump forward in our relationship, he was finally sharing, but then we made an even bigger step backwards when he saw my amazed expression."

 _Flashback_

"I can read, you know, it's not a fucking miracle" he exclaimed, jumping off the bed and grabbing his pants, putting them on hastily.

He started roaming the small bedroom looking for the rest of his clothes, his gait and grasps at his clothes exhibiting his anger. Lyla held the sheet to her chest, trying to find the words that would appease him. He had made his way to his desk and gotten a hold of the books. He slammed them down virulently on top of his schoolbooks.

"You know, most of the time, I really hate this town," he said, his eyes enraged. "I'm a Riggins. Just 'one of those Riggins boys'. Somehow, that means I can't do anything but play football. I may not be the brightest bulb or however they say that shit, but I'm not stupid. There is no apocalypse if I step into the town library."

"I never said that!" Lyla exclaimed.

"But you're acting like it. The librarian did too. She tried to lead me to the teen and kid fiction section, can you believe it? I'm sure you can. This town is like a poison. When you try to change the way you define yourself, it makes you feel like the lowliest piece of shit that has ever walked its streets. I had to ask Julie to pick the books in her name because I couldn't stand the idea of going back there."

"Julie went to get the books?" Lyla asked, noticing the way Tim's fury had seemed to diminish when he had mentioned the girl's name.

"Yeah, she did. She never gave me the fish look you were just giving me. She was the one that suggested the Irving book, after I told her that I had been able to relate to 'Of Mices and Men'. She looked even pleased that I would reach out of my comfort zone. So yes, she was the one I trusted to get the books for me."

"I didn't know…"

"Of course you didn't, you never bothered. I think you should get dressed, your mom is going to be waiting for you," he said, looking at something above her head.

"Please Tim, don't be like that!" She pleaded, throwing herself at him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm …"

 _End Flashback_

"It took me quite some time but he didn't throw me out in the end. I just had to beg and apologize over and over again until he relented. But ever since, there was a ridge between us. The next day, when I went back to his place, he had hidden the books in his night table. He just didn't want me to see them, or him reading; I hated Dillon then, even more than I thought was possible. I tried to talk to him a couple of times about books I thought he would enjoy, but he wasn't listening. I know he kept on reading because of a few times he let it slip, like the time when we went to the video store to get a movie, and I took this one that seemed nice, 'The House Cider Rules'.

 _Flashback_

"How about this one?" Lyla asked, showing a box with Tobey Maguire on it. It seems nice, plus it has Charlize Theron in it. You love her."

"You won't like it," he said with assurance. "How about a good old fashioned horror movie?"

"Why wouldn't I like it?"

"It deals with abortion. It's about a doctor who struggles with the idea of giving abortion, but ends up giving it anyway because there are some women who have good reasons to terminate their pregnancies and you can't discriminate against those that need such a procedure than those who don't. If the movie follows the book, it will be the most prominent theme, and last time I checked, you Christians weren't big fans of abortion."

"Have you seen it already? How do you know the plot so well?"

"I read the book some time ago," he said, non committedly. "It's the same writer as 'Owen Meany'."

Lyla could barely hold back her surprise and rising anger, just managing not asking whether it had been a Julie Taylor's recommendation.

 _End Flashback_

"But in the end, I decided not to pry. I thought that since he was reading, something the Tim Riggins from the first time around would never have done, I could let it slide. It was like there were two versions of him, Tim A when Jay got injured, and Tim B. The same could be said about me, I had changed a great deal since our first tryst. I kinda liked the new and improved version of Tim. Sure, I also missed the comfort of having a general idea of what was going through his mind like when we we're hiding, but the new Tim was responsible, full of surprises. He always kept me guessing. I believe it made me fall even more in love with him. I was in pretty deep and I kept sinking in even further. We had our rocky times, but most of the time, he was a great boyfriend. He wasn't the kind to lavish me with gifts, it was more about gesture, like letting me borrow his truck. That old piece of machine was his baby, so it was a huge way to show his commitment."

Lyla grimaced briefly at some thought but went back to her straight face, hoping her friend wouldn't notice. Except she had.

"What was that? You looked like you were suffering from acid reflux for a moment," Holly commented.

"It was just a thought. You're going to think I'm petty or something, because it's so silly."

"Come on, do I need to beat it out of you?"

"It's just that, well… did I tell you that the Panthers won the State Championship?"

"Yeah. I think I have the chronology down: 2nd year of high school, Jason gets injured, you and Tim fool around and the Panthers win State. A little before junior year ended, you found God and Tim tried to win you back. You got together a little before your last year of high school."

"Wow, the way you summed it up made it seem so innocent, and carefree… But yeah, that's how it happened, overall. When they won State, the Panthers got, among other things, a gold ring. It's a massive manly thing, like the Superbowl winner rings. The players would give their ring to their girlfriend, it was thought of as a romantic gesture, even though the ring had to be heavier than a newborn baby. Girls would show off the ring, even a year after State had been won. Sometimes, it got a little ridiculous when some players would change girlfriends more often than they changed socks and kept offering their ring as a token to the flavor of the week. Hence some rings stopped being a commitment proof while other rings had a deeper meaning. It was almost binding for some, like an engagement ring. I know that a short time before they broke up, Matt Saracen had tried giving Julie Taylor his ring, but she refused to have it. It was common knowledge that they broke up because he was too committed to their relationship and she was afraid they were going to turn into her parents, so it made sense that she wouldn't want to wear his State Championship ring. She pretended she didn't want it because she hated football but knowing the outcome, you can safely guess it was a commitment issue."

"Tim was right, you know?" Holly said. "You really are a gossip, no matter what you would like to believe…"

"Hush now. Besides, at least it's something I can ask penance for when I go to confession."

"So, the State ring?…"

"Well, Tim wore his religiously. It was his most prized possession. A few months after we got together, he stopped wearing it. All the girls at school would look at my hands, to see if he had given it to me. Since their looks were weirding me out, I asked them about their sudden interest for my hands. They told me about Tim not wearing his ring, I told them that I didn't know why. They started thinking that he was planning some kind of setting before offering it to me… They were so excited, one would have thought he was going to propose… And though I didn't want to, I started getting excited at the prospect of Tim offering his ring to me. He didn't. A week later or so, the ring reappeared on his hand. I was majorly disappointed, and I hated myself for that. The same girls cornered me during gym to ask me if I had pulled a Julie Taylor and refused it. I hadn't, I told them. I remember hearing somebody snickering as I answered. It was Tyra. Julie was with her, but she looked sorry for me. She tugged on Tyra's sleeve, told her a few things and they both went away, Tyra's arm around Julie's shoulders. Remember that conversation about Tyra I had had at the Taylors'?" Holly nodded. "Well, it went through my mind as I watched them walk away. If Julie hadn't been there, I'm pretty sure Tyra and I would've fought or had a yelling match or something." Lyla shook her head. "Anyway...Not the point. I told the inquiring girls that I had no clue about what was the deal about Tim's ring but also insisting that I didn't care, which was bullshit."

"Julie Taylor later came to see me and explained in that annoyingly sweet tone of hers that Tim had lent his ring to Gracie the week before. Apparently, she had liked its shine and had wanted to keep it for one of her bears to wear, and she forgot to give it back. He had just gotten it back the night before when he had come over for dinner. What really broke my heart was when she said: "Tyra doesn't believe that Tim would ever give you his ring, but if you want it, maybe Mom and I can start dropping hints when we see Tim." A part of me had always known that I would never be wearing Tim's State ring, but it still pained me to hear a girl that he hadn't known for even two years to make an offer like that just because I wanted his ring. It was nothing personal, I just had this feeling…"

"Like you were the lawful wife and that the Taylor family was the powerful mistress, the one that had the most power in the end on the guy you were dating," Holly finished for her. "Every woman on Earth will date at some point a guy that she really likes but he's in a whole other world with his family and friends. It's an annoying fact of life. Except that most the time, the family and/or friend won't be offering to help make your relationship stronger. I can tell it's worse than just undermining your influence."

"It really was. I kept telling myself that they were making my life easier by telling Tim what to do and what not, but I really was craving to be the one he went to when he was in trouble or just needing some advise. He didn't even come to me for the simplest things, like homework. We had a monster fight over school work once, and we almost broke up over it. I can't help but think that it took some more Taylors' meddling for us to stay an item."


	4. The Fight From Hell

_Flashback_

"Hey, Lyla said, coming up to her boyfriend. Are you planning on staying long?"

He was sitting on a bench outside the cafeteria and was reading a textbook.

"Uh? Oh, hey," he said, kissing her briefly before going back to his assignment.

She waited a few more minutes during which he completely ignored her then said:

"What are you working on?"

"Trig. The final is tomorrow and I'm not ready for it."

"Oh. I offered to study together more than once, why did you never tell me that you were having difficulties with it? Maybe I can help…"

"I don't have … difficulties, as you kindly put it, I've been doing fine most the time. It's just the last chapter I'm not getting. And it's starting to piss me off too."

"If it's just the last chapter, maybe it won't be in the final, and we can look it over this week end. I could help you relax, and then..." she sat down coyly, trailing her hands up his bicep, offering with a wink and a sly smile, "maybe we could study each other's anatomy. It's been a long time since we've gotten together."

He gave a humourless laugh, shoving her hand off of him.

"So the pristine Lyla Garrity is horny." It hurt her to hear him refer to her this way, like the rest of the town had done during their first affair. "You're either going to have to take the matter in your own hands, or it's going to have to wait. I need to master the last chapter for tomorrow."

"That's not what I meant and you know it," she retaliated. "Besides, are you really worried about tomorrow's final? The Tim Riggins I know didn't."

"Well, this Tim Riggins does. How many Tims Riggins are there to you Lyla?" He raised his eyebrows. "Anways, this one and only Tim Riggins needs to get at least a B at that test, you know, for that scholarship you keep bugging me about. My football's fine but I need to keep up good enough grades to get in."

"Okay then," Lyla said, going back to serious mode. "I didn't want to make you feel bad. Let me help you, I think I understood the last chapter, I can go over it with you."

For once, he relented and let her take a look at his homework. She briefly surveyed the exercises he had done and despised herself for feeling amazed that he had gotten everything right. He was right, the new Tim Riggins took his homework assignment very seriously. The last bit he had been working on was about the problematic chapter, and she perused it, trying to find out what he was missing to get it right.

"Do you know why you have trouble with it?" She asked. "Is it a certain part you're not getting, or is it just an overall thing?"

"I missed one lesson last week, remember? And then it started making less and less sense."

"That's what you get for skipping class."

The moment it got out of her mouth, she felt like slapping herself.

"I didn't skip," he said bitterly. "I spent the trig class puking my guts out at the nurse office. Gracie had been sick the previous day and she gave me her stomach bug when I went over for dinner."

"I'm sorry Tim, I thought it was just one of those days when you didn't feel like class. Since it was the only class we had together that day, I figured you had just gone to hang out with Jason or something."

"I haven't had one of those days in a long time," he said, with angry eyes.

And looking back, Lyla realized he wasn't lying. In fact, ever since the A&M scholarship had been discussed, Tim hadn't missed a single school day. He skipped a few classes here and there, but he had been pretty serious.

"I'm sorry. Why didn't you ask me for my notes? I would have lent them."

"Yeah, but you would have insisted for us to look them over together, and you know I hate that. Besides, since Mrs T. got my assignment from Trig and the other classes I missed, I figured I could catch up."

"Mrs T., uh?" Lyla said bitterly.

"She fetched me from the nurse's and got me back at her place. She made me chicken soup and fed me as many crackers as I could stomach."

She knew he wasn't used to being coddled, but still could tell from the glint in his eyes that he had liked that. She wondered if he had loved it because it was new or if it was because Tami had been doing the coddling.

"Anyway, after that day, I started having trouble with trig, but I thought I would get it being extra serious in that class but I just didn't. And now, it's killing my grades. I think that maybe I'm just missing some basic bit because I missed the introductory lecture."

"Okay then, let's start from the beginning," Lyla said, feeling resolved to be there for Tim.

They took the textbook and read back from the start. She could tell he was getting angsty and fidgety. After thirty minutes and no real result, she tried a different approach.

"How about we tried to make it about football so it's easier for you to relate to? It could be about a field and defense lines," she said, pointing out to a picture in the book.

Tim abruptly jumped to his feet and started picking his stuff.

"What?" she asked, not knowing what she had done, if anything at all.

"Do you really think I'm so stupid?" He burst out, in full anger mode. "Seriously Lyla, do you have self esteem issues? Because I really can't figure why else you would be dating a guy you believe to be such a moron. I'm not an idiot, and thank you for your help," he said irony dripping in his tone, "but I'm going to find a way to get it without resorting to fucking football analogies."

"Tim," she begged while he stormed away.

But he didn't come back, and neither did he spare her a look.

She had a sinking feeling in her stomach that he may not come back to her, ever.

She tried to call him several times that night, leaving messages on his voicemail, some apologizing for making him feel stupid, others where she just yelled at him for being too hot-tempered. She barely slept that night, clutching her cellphone as a lifeline but he never called.

Laying in her bed, eyes wide open, Lyla started thinking about their relationship. She loved him, and she knew he loved her, even though getting him to say it was like pulling out a tooth (looking back, he had only said it a couple of times), but this communication problem was getting too huge to ignore and could cost them their relationship. When she was asking about serious topics like his scholarship, he felt like she was being pushy, she gathered from their fight, while she thought she was just doing the good girlfriend thing. That was something they needed to work on: she had to make him see that she only had his best interest in mind, but she also had to learn to butt out sometimes. Obviously, Tim Riggins wasn't your average boyfriend. Or at least, he wasn't like Jason Street. Looking back, she could tell that she had been disappointed when she had expected him to act like Jason would have. It was a little sad to realize that they had been dating for four months but on most aspects, he remained a mystery to her.

Communication, she thought, was the only thing that could save their relationship: she needed to make him feel safe enough that he would finally talk to her, and she had to learn to communicate in a way he wouldn't find intruding.

She really barely slept that night, trying to decipher the Tim Riggins communication system.

The next day, she didn't see him until Trig, and to say that she was anxious would be just an understatement. She felt on edge, eager to appease their quarrel and to become stronger together. She had all those great speeches she had rehearsed in her head, that she intended to deliver as soon as she managed to make him listen to her. She had even written down the main point she would be trying to make. She kept that list in her pocket for whenever the opportunity would appear, but it didn't.

When she finally saw Tim, he was just walking past her to sit at his usual table, behind hers. The teacher handed them their assignment right away. After debating with herself for a few minutes, arguing whether or not God would approve she decided to sit a certain way at her table so that he could peek at her copy over her shoulder if he was having trouble. She briefly turned around to make him see her seating arrangement, but he didn't look up. He just started on writing. She spent the whole exam this way, writing down her answers then trying to catch a peak at him. He never met her eyes. He was alternating between answering, solving and perusing the exam sheet, all the time running his hand in his hair.

It was silly, but she would have given anything to meet his eyes and see that they everything was okay with them.

When the bell rang, she hadn't finished answering all the items and was grateful that she had gotten good marks all year long, possibly cushioning the possible failure of this exam. She turned to see Tim, after they had returned their copies but he was gathering his stuff quickly, with his poker face straight on. He breezed past her on his way out, not even acknowledging her presence, leaving her heart broken. When she got outside the classroom, she got assaulted by Landry:

"Hey Lyla. Is Tyra still inside?

"I'm not anymore," the blonde said, walking past the brunette and glaring at her. "Come on babe."

"Lyla" Landry managed to ask while Tyra was forcefully whisking him away with their hands gripped together, "do you know if Tim will come to my gig tomorrow?"

They were already gone when Lyla answered:

"I really don't know."

She then flew the hallways until she found herself in the relative privacy of a bathroom stall and started crying her eyes out over the things she didn't know and the few she did.

That night, she decided she couldn't take the uncertainty anymore and wound up at the Riggins' place. She knocked and then wondered if Tim would be there or basking in the glory of the family life at the Taylors'. When she finally opened the door, she didn't feel relief, and new tears started pooling in her eyes. She looked at his closed face and whimpered:

"Tim…"

Sighing, he quickly cupped her face with his hands and kissed her with passion while leading her to his bedroom. Lyla felt sadness tug her heart when she realized how familiar the scene felt, reminding her of the time she came to find solace in his arms after Jason's accident. She then lost her trail of thought at the got behind closed doors.

They didn't speak afterwards, they just both pretended to be asleep, hoping that the new day would fix this.

They went back to their previous routines, and Lyla trashed the list she had made about their problems. She had been deluding herself with that and decided to try and go with the flow. Whatever happens, happens became her new motto.

Except it wasn't really. She kept worrying about the Trig final results. Not hers, Tim's, but she couldn't ask him how it had gone. Their broken relationship was the result of their first talk about it, she didn't want to think about what could happen if she brought it up.

So instead, she made her way to Mrs. Taylor's office.

"Lyla! Come in! Come in! How are you? Is there anything I can help you with?" Tami asked, gesturing for her to take a seat.

"I'm fine, Mrs T, my grades are good, you needn't worry about me."

"Okay then. If school isn't the issue, what brings you to my humble office? Family? Boyfriend? Work?"

"I'm worried about Tim," Lyla blurted out, wringing her hands together.

"About what? Did you try and talk to him about it?" Tami asked.

"No," Lyla said with a bitter laugh, "Tim and I are trying the non-talking thing right now. Can't say it's going too well, but we're still together, so it's okay."

Tami's raised eyebrow made her realize that she had just admitted to much more than she had intended. When she saw compassion color the woman's face, she quickly said:

"But that's really not the point. We're fine, really. It's really ok." She wanted to smack herself for overusing 'really', it was such a dead giveaway that they were not, indeed, fine. "I'm worried about his Trig results."

"Did Mr Buck give you back your copies already? He didn't communicate me the grade list, or maybe I just misplaced it. I really need to do something about this pigsty of an office" she said, motioning to her desk that didn't seem to be such a mess as far as Lyla was concerned.

"No, he didn't. It's just that Tim was really worried prior to the final because he hadn't mastered the last chapter, and he mentioned that it was crucial and could cost his scholarship in the end. It's making me nervous."

"I know. The Gracie's gastro-enteritis incident has been a major pain. I know that Tim was really stressed about the exam, but from what I gathered, thanks to his remedial trig, it should be okay."

"Remedial? I don't know anything about that. All I know is that the day before, he was edgy as hell because there was one chapter he didn't get. He blew me off really hard when I tried to help."

Tami looked at her with a confused expression, then shook her head, as if to sort out her thoughts and said:

"That's right, I remember, he was really annoyed, but mostly scared I guess. He felt a little less anxious once Tyra gave him a crash course on said chapter that night."

Lyla felt like she should be pinching her own arm, or grabbing the woman to shake some sense back into her.

"Tyra? Last time I checked, Tyra and Tim were barely on speaking terms. How come she would help him with trig?" Lyla asked, barely managing to not roll her eyes at the mere idea.

Mrs Taylor started looking uncomfortable before saying:

"She did it because Julie asked her to. You know how close they are."

Lyla felt blank, the world seemed to make sense to everybody but her, and since reality was so loopy, she wasn't sure she wanted to fit in it.

"I'm sorry?"

"Oh, honey…" Tami said with something close to pity in her eyes. "That night, Tim showed up at our house, to see Julie and vent out to her about his trig trouble I guess. Eric and I were having a romantic evening away when she called and asked if it was okay for her to invite a couple of friends over to have a cramming session. She promised that they would be extra silent so as not to disturb Gracie's sleep, but it was okay as far as I was concerned, so we agreed. She then called Tyra and Landry and she asked her to share with Tim the things she had understood on that lesson. Tyra was far from ecstatic but Julie is a Taylor, and she gets things done. Besides, they're so close, Tyra couldn't say no to her. She agreed to help Tim with Trig while Julie and Landry went over some history paper."

"How cozy," Lyla thought, "a couple cramming session."

"When we came back around midnight, they were still revising, with Landry and Julie acting as buffer between Tyra and Tim each time they got a little mad. They managed to get the whole chapter done before one in the morning when Landry drove Tyra home and Tim just crashed on our couch. He was so nervous, I just didn't feel like he should be driving anywhere that night, so we gladly took him in. But I really think the cramming session worked: last time he was over, though he kept on being extremely cautious, he admitted that Julie's idea had worked out for the best, and that he was hoping to get a good mark. But Sweetie, what you should remember…" Tami started.

"What should I remember? Please tell me… Should I remember that your daughter didn't think for a second about inviting me to help my boyfriend get over some Trig trouble but felt it was okay to call his ex-girlfriend?" Lyla asked with rage, unshed tears in her eyes.

"Sweetie, calm down. Calm down and please don't jump to conclusions. I think Tim didn't want anybody there, he just came by looking for a friendly ear. The whole Tyra thing was just Julie's way to find a solution that would benefit her two best friends, and Tim trusted her on this," Tami explained calmly. "How could he not trust her? She has been helping him with his homework for months, they even get together every Sunday morning before church to discuss what he should start learning or revising, she's been pretty much of a slave-driver when it comes to Tim's homework. So far it has worked out perfectly. Try and talk to Tim. I know that you probably won't get a great Shakespearian monologue out of the guy, but you can work on your communication problem together. What is the main problem here?"

"You," Lyla wanted to scream, "you and your damn family are the problem. He keeps talking with you, and being happy with you while I remain his lousy and clingy girlfriend. It should be the other way around. It's always you, you, you!"

But she bit her tongue and just left the office without saying another word.

A few days later, when they got their finals grades, Tim gave her a non committed smile, when he discovered that he had gotten a B+. He then addressed a more secure smile to Tyra who was too busy squealing over her own A-. As soon as the bell rang, he rushed out of the classroom looking for something, or more accurately somebody. A few minutes later, after watching with envy the PDA Tyra and Landry had started doing in celebration of her great mark, when she ventured near the counselor offices, she saw her boyfriend, hugging and laughing with Julie Taylor. She watched with unmasked jealousy as he pressed the small blonde against his chest, murmuring thank yous in her ear before kissing said ear. The blonde was rubbing his back and kissing his chest until she got a hold on his face, cupped between her hands, and while she stared in his eyes, she said confidently:

"I told you that you could do it. I knew you could do it, I never doubted you for a second. Haven't you learned anything these past few months? You should never bet against a Taylor!"

"I will never bet against you ever again," he said with vigor, before pulling her in another monster hug.

The sounds of their laughter and of their plain happiness rang in Lyla's ear for a very long time.

 _End Flashback_

"Wow, that was some really intense fight", Holly said, not knowing what would be an appropriate reaction to that story.

"Yeah. Needless to say, we didn't make it another month past that", Lyla said grimly.


	5. The Break Up

"I have a question, before you get to the next part of your confession," Holly said.

"Go ahead."

She grabbed the laptop that had been discarded what felt like hours ago, switched it back on and put it in front of the couch. The navigator was still open on one of the pictures which had prompted Lyla's break down. The scene was set in what had to be the Taylors' garden, and it showed Tabby and a boy who didn't look a day over 18, holding hands, next to another couple at a table. Tim Riggins was standing next to a blonde woman that was clearly laughing at him, and he was playing with a strand of her hair. The four of them were grinning at the camera.

"So," Holly started, pointing out to the screen. "That's your sister Tabby, right? The guy is her boyfriend…"

"Fiancé, Bo, but yes," Lyla said with a proud smile on her face.

"Am I wrong in assuming that the blonde is Julie Taylor?"

"No, you're right. That's Julie. You saw it coming, huh?"

"Well, from what you told me, he bonded with all the Taylors, but she's the one he turned to for his homework and stuff. You told me she offered to talk to him for you, which means that they must have had some kind of serious friendship going on… It was pretty safe to assume it was her in the picture. But please, go on…"

Lyla took a deep breath, staring at the picture on the computer, then proceeded:

"Officially, we were still together, and nobody at school was none the wiser about how rocky our relationship was becoming, well, except for the Taylors and Tyra. Behaving like the perfect couple at school was not an issue, but after each day was done, it was like all the tension would rise again, when the bell rang. I was feeling less and less motivated to fight for us, and it felt weird since not a week prior, I was convinced we were going to make it. Just a few days after that, I felt like I should savor every instant I spent with him because our days were numbered as a couple. Yet, I couldn't really enjoy said time together, because I was starting to resent him for constantly choosing his new family over me.

We broke up on a Wednesday night. I wanted him to come to my brother's birthday party the next night, but he wanted to go to the Coach's as every Thursday.

 _Flashback_

"I wish I could, but you know I can't cancel my engagement," Tim said, staring at his glass so as not to meet her stare.

He had been unconsciously avoiding looking in her eyes for a couple of days, and she was passed feeling pissed about it.

"No I don't," she said. "I believe you could cancel dinner night at the Taylors', I'm sure they would understand, but I know you won't."

"If you know I won't, then why bother bringing it up?"

"I don't know. I just hoped that for once, you would choose to be with me," she said, coming to stand in front of him with her clenched hands on her hips. "It's not the worst thing I would ask of you. I just want you there, with me, when my mother and her new beau will have my father over to celebrate Lil Buddy's birthday. It's going to be extremely awkward, and messy, and I really would appreciate it if you were to show up and support me for once. I do stuff for you, I show up to your games, can't you do something in return for me?"

He finally raised his head to meet her eyes, but what she there was the opposite of what she was hoping to see. He rose from his seat, and came to stand next to her, leaning on the kitchen's countertop. After an excruciating silence that couldn't have been longer than a few seconds, he said:

"It's not working anymore, is it?"

She lowered her head in defeat before nodding, starting to cry in silence.

"You haven't been happy for a long time," he continued, crossing his arms on his chest. "I know it, I haven't been either."

"If you could tell, then why didn't you say or do anything before?" she asked with resentment.

"I guess I was hoping it would resolve itself, that we would be happy together again after some time. I'm not expert at that relationship thing, so I thought it could be normal. But now it feels obvious that it won't get better. It's not just one of those rough patches they tell you about."

"No, it isn't. God!" she exclaimed before putting her face in her hands, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I can't believe this is happening."

If she had hoped he would concur, she would have been disappointed and hurt by his non committal shrug, but she had become used to this Tim. She reached for the tissue box she knew her mother was keeping there and wiped her face.

"So, this is it? We're done?" she asked.

"I guess. I'm sorry I hurt you, Lyla. I didn't mean to, or want to."

"Aren't you at least a little sad?" she asked, resenting his straight face.

"I am. I really am," he said, trying to comfort her by awkwardly patting her arm. "But I kinda saw it coming. It felt extremely clear last Sunday, and I've been coping, but don't believe for a second I'm not hurt. I really cared for you, and I guess I always will, but we're no good together."

"I can't refute that," Lyla said with renewed tears when it registered he was only talking about caring, not loving. "Can I ask you, without intruding, what happened last Sunday?"

"I went for a tour on the A&M campus. They wanted to show me around and everything. The Coach came with me. It was a random realization, but I knew we were on the last rope when I asked the Coach for his cellphone and it was Julie's number I dialed to share the experience. I should have wanted to call you, but I didn't, and I'm sorry."

"Julie, huh?" She couldn't help but snort. "You didn't even tell me you were being given the grand tour. I wish you had. Even if you hadn't wanted me to be here, I could have given you tips. I went with Jason a couple of years ago, when they were courting him, I would have known what questions to ask. But let's not linger on that. Why Julie? I'm almost surprised she didn't go with you."

He looked uncomfortable before answering:

"She was supposed to. The plan was for me to go there with the Coach and Jules, but she thought you should be the one there. Both Mrs T. and her tried to get me to ask you to come along, but we had been having problems for too long and I just didn't feel like complying.

"You know, in case you wake up one day and ask yourself whatever went wrong in our relationship, just think really hard about what you just said. It's a perfect demonstration of everything that went wrong with us," she said with rage.

"You're being unfair. The Taylors have been nothing but supportive of us."

"Yeah? Well it shouldn't have mattered that much."

"I'm sorry, but weren't you the one who said that you understood me being close to them? Or was that just a lie?" he asked, his temper flaring.

"I was sincere, but I also know now that I was deluding myself. I thought that they were just a phase, that once we got together and were comfortable, you would confide in me, that you wouldn't need them as much. And look where we are now… I was the phase, they're the permanent thing."

"I'm not going to apologize for finding a place where I finally fucking belong," he growled.

"Language!" She exclaimed, hoping that her siblings wouldn't come back home anytime soon.

"See, that's what I'm talking about. We had other problem than me being friends with Julie. You should know by now that I am not polite or proper. I'm not Jason Street, Lyla, so will you stop trying to compare us?"

She blushed, realizing that he had noticed it too.

"I never meant to do that," she said.

"Yet you did. You keep waiting me for to pour my heart out, because Jay did. You want me to confide in you and trust you, and when I tried, you made fun of me."

"When? I don't remember you ever telling something remotely personal that you wouldn't tell anybody else. "

"I told you I dreamt about buying a restaurant, and you laughed like a hyena!"

"I thought you weren't serious. You don't cook!"

"Yes I do! And that's exactly my point. I'm not talking about opening a grand restaurant and become a famous chef, I was just talking about a dream, and you made fun of it. I'm sorry but we can't all dream about world peace and kittens, Lyla. I don't know if Jay had the kind of dream that made you proud, but mine are just this simple."

"How was I supposed to know you were serious? You never tell me anything!"

"With good reasons."

"I'm sorry I made fun of your idea, but you have to admit that you didn't let me in at all. You only open up to those surnamed Taylor. I'm sure Gracie knows more about your dreams hope and aspirations than I do!"

"Don't even…. Leave the Taylors and Gracie out of this!" he said with fury.

He started rubbing his temples, trying to get control back over his temper.

"It doesn't matter anymore," he finally said. "We're over."

 _End Flashback_

"He then got out of my house like he couldn't stand being next to me for even a few seconds longer. I cried most of the night, wondering if he had gone back to his house or if he had gone straight to the Taylors, to lick his wounds under their benevolent eyes."

"Did he go there?" Holly asked.

"I don't know for sure, but I can only assume. How many times did either of us mention one of the Taylors during our break-up? It still feels like he would have gone there. I was completely heartbroken of course, but I was also majorly pissed. I got myself so worked up that night, dreading the pity I would meet in everybody's eyes the next day at school, I was enraged when I went there. If people hadn't heard that we were over, just one look in my direction was a dead give-away. I was broadcasting our break up louder than I could have feared. I walked down the corridors and pretended I didn't see him. I did so for about a week. And Buddy's birthday party, well that was pure torture. I didn't want my parents to know that Tim had dumped me, but I kept clenching and becoming so angry each time his name was mentioned… At school, I kept turning my head rather than lay my eyes on him. I remembered about people telling us that we would have beautiful babies one day together, and I was just irate. I was so pissed, I was that close to punching Julie whenever I saw her."

"Poor girl," Holly commented.

"You know, if I had attacked her, I'm not sure I would have had the upper hand for long, so let's not feel sorry too much for her."

"How do you reckon?"

"I did Powderpuff twice, and each time Julie was in the opposite camp. She was pretty enthusiastic when it came to taking other girls down. Kinda scary. But then again, her father was the Coach, football ran through her veins or something."

Holly agreed silently and gestured for Lyla to get back to her story.

"Anyway, I stayed a bitch for some time. Each time I met any of the Taylors, I wanted to yell at them, but I was just looking for something to focus on and not give in to the pain. The anger drove me until I couldn't escape just how heartbroken I felt. I didn't last long and then I succumbed to sadness. The next week, I called Tim and we set a date to give each other back everything the other had given. Neither of our boxes were full, just more proof of how weak our relationship had been, but I wanted to return a shirt he had lent me to wear. The temptation was becoming too great each night to slip it on and cry my heart and eyes out, surrounded by his smell. So I gave it back. He returned a few minor things I had left at his place. He said once more that he was sorry for hurting me, but this time, I was willing to admit that we had both been to blame for the failure of our relationship. I will always remember our partying words."

 _Flashback_

"I'm sorry I wanted you to be like Jason," Lyla said.

"And I'm sorry I wished you were Julie Taylor."

 _End Flashback_

"After that, I was less angry and more depressed. The others students may not have noticed it, but I could see Julie and Tim getting closer every day."

"How long did they wait before going out?" Holly asked.

"Longer than I would have thought. It was a gradual thing, but a few days before Tim's graduation, they were a couple for good, much to Dillon's dismay and horror."


	6. Of Gravitation, Among Other Things

"The Panthers didn't make it to State though they fought tooth and nails for it. They had a few great games, some really good ones, but it just wasn't enough."

"You still went to their games?" Holly asked, a little surprised.

"In Dillon, the only acceptable reason for skipping a game would be if you had to go to mass. Needless to say, there weren't a lot of masses being celebrated on Friday nights. Not to mention that if they were, you would have been expected to pray for the Panthers."

Holly raised an eyebrow with a smirk and Lyla could tell she was thinking about small towns. The girl had been born and raised in Dallas and was always surprised to learn about smaller towns.

"Anyway, I think that's the reason the good people of Dillon were so surprised when Tim and Julie came out as a couple, because he was a Panther and she was the Coach's daughter. They felt like they hadn't scrutinized them enough and had missed the clues. But if you had been watching them make their way into each other's arms, like I had, it was really not that big a shock. Does it make me pathetic to admit that I was watching?"

"He was your ex whom you invested a lot in emotionally during your relationship, so yeah, a little pathetic but also completely understandable at the same time. So, what did you see?"

"It was really gradual. I can't say anything like: in March they were holding hands, but by May, they had gotten past second base. What I saw were mostly little signs that were indications of how close they had becoming. Though, a month after the break-up, I felt like they were everywhere. I would see them walk down the halls, not touching at first, but definitely together. They would go to the school library to study before he had practice. Dillon folks wanted to praise Julie for tutoring Tim, but I knew that if it had been tutoring at the beginning, then, it was more of a habit, something along the lines of companionship. I also saw them a couple of times at the grocery store. He had become her official chauffeur, whether it was for an errand or whatever else, he was picking her up to and from school most days. It was perfect because while he had football practice, she would go to her dance class or the book club, or whatever."

"When he received an official positive answer to his scholarship application, I'm sure there was some celebration going on at the Taylors. The next day at school, Julie was beaming, glowing. She was just exuding with satisfaction."

"Soon enough, they started caring less and less about the public eye and started touching each other in public. God, that sounds so dirty… I'm talking chaste PDA of course, you know, they would walk down the halls together, like with him holding her around the shoulders and her arm around his waist. He'd touch her hair, she'd do the same. Real chaste PDA."

"What broke my heart was how soon after the break-up he started being happy, and not just looking like it, but expressing it. I knew him, I could see past his trademark smirk and his nonchalant behavior. I may not have known what was going through in his head, but I knew his body language by heart. He was truly happy, even if there was no serious groping involved. I think it was the normalcy in their relationship that elated him so much. When we were together, we had to work on not making the same mistakes again, and then I started comparing him with Jason. With Julie, what they had was much simpler. They had a clean sheet, they were standing on good ground."

"What became obvious, at least to me who was always watching from afar was the gravitation. I think it existed even when I was still with Tim but I'd missed it before. I started noticing that they took turns behaving as the other's sun. There was a magnetic pull. Where one was, the other was near, as if attracted by electric forces. Back then, I thought it was just Julie, that she was irresistible to him, attracting him like a moth to a flame, because I felt like he was always the one looking for her, but now I can tell it went both ways."

"One day, just a few weeks after we were over, I went to a post game celebration. I was standing near the bar, wondering why I had decided to come…"

 _Flashback_

Her mom had been getting on her case, saying that she wasn't going out enough for a girl her age, so to appease her, Lyla had promised to go to the party. And there she was, looking like a fool when she had asked for a non-alcoholic beverage, standing next to the drink station. She looked at her watch and decided that she wasn't staying longer than thirty more minutes. She'd rather drive alone in the Dillon streets until it was a more reasonable hour to come home without her mother moaning, rather than watch her classmates drink and screw blindly like they were right now.

She took a sip of her orange juice then browsed the attending crowd. Smash could be seen, flirting with several girls like his life depended on it. Rally girls and Cheerleaders tried to get into a player's pants for the night. Landry Clarke was having a debate with one of the science club member, Tyra looking slightly bored but holding his waist tightly. A few meters from them was Matt Saracen, surrounded by three Rally girls, but he was looking grimly in another direction, barely paying them attention. Lyla followed his glance, her heart clenching as she saw Julie Taylor with a shy smile on her face, making her way to Tim and Santiago who were having some kind of discussion. When he saw her approaching, Tim's smile broadened. Lyla could tell it was a real smile and not a smirk. The blonde stood next to him, holding a bottle of soda and beamed at him before turning her attention to Santiago and greeting him too. Lyla's heart felt another tug when saw Tim wrap his arm around the girl's waist and gently but firmly pull her down on his lap. She blushed lightly then thanked him. Tim started whispering in her hear and she laughed, leaning back against his chest. He put his head on her shoulder then went back to his conversation with Santiago. Feeling like a peeping tom, Lyla couldn't help but notice that the couple was holding hands.

Poor Saracen, she thought, she could sympathize with his gloomy mood, they were both in the same boat there. What she couldn't fathom was how oblivious the rest of the crowd had been to the scene. They were too busy drinking and partying probably.

Lyla hated herself for constantly spying on them, but she couldn't help it. She knew that the two weren't a couple yet, or at least as far as Dillon was concerned, but she felt hurt at how close they had gotten so fast. They were also not afraid of expressing their friendship through physical contact of any kind, but maybe they had always been that touchy when together. She remembered how they had kissed and hugged after the trig results. She wondered if, when they were locked in the sanctuary that was the Taylors' house, they had touched so much, especially when she was still dating Tim. Spying on them for so long, she had noticed quite bitterly that he was more comfortable expressing himself through physical gestures when he was with Julie. She had dated him for more than five months but he never seemed to reach that level of comfort around her.

Her thoughts were interrupted when someone came to the drink station. She cringed when he saw it was Tyra, then blushed to the roots of her hair when she saw that the blonde had noticed who she had been staring at.

Tyra arched an eyebrow then proceeded to get a refill of her drink. Lyla kept clenching, waiting for the acid remark that she was certain would fuse. When she had poured the beer in her cup, the blonde turned to go back to her boyfriend, and Lyla couldn't help but exclaim "That's it? You're not going to say anything?"

Tyra stopped, and her free hand went to her waist in a defiant posture.

"That's it," she confirmed. "What do you want me to say?"

"Nothing, that's the point," Lyla cringed, "I don't want you anywhere near my case, but that's just not like you. So bring it on, get it off your chest. The anticipation is killing me."

The blonde chuckled a little bitterly, then said "I won't get on your case, Lyla. The world doesn't revolve around you, and maybe I have nothing to say."

Lyla eyed her suspiciously, her lips pressed tightly.

"Even if I wanted to say anything, like call you on your stalkerish tendencies or about the Pity act you've got going on," Tyra said, "I wouldn't. The reward wouldn't be worth the risks. So drop it."

"The reward? The risks?" Lyla asked, following the girl's glance to Tim and the Taylor girl. "Did Julie asked you to not get on my case? How dare she!"

"Careful there! I may have been asked not to rub in your face the break-up details, but if you start badmouthing my girl, then you're fair game. So tread lightly, Garrity," Tyra exclaimed, raising a threatening finger as her hip propped out in a defiant manner.

Lyla felt shock and wonder while the other girl stood in a defensive pose.

"I don't get it," she blurted out almost against her will, "I just don't get it. I've known you Tyra, ever since we were girls. You don't let people tell you what you should or shouldn't do. How did Julie Taylor managed to tame you...or anybody else for that matter?" she added, thinking about Tim.

"I agree, you really don't get it if you think it's about getting tamed. She is my girl, I'm hers. When she asks me to spare somebody from my wrath, if I think it's something that won't change who I am, I will. It's the kind of things that you do for the people you love. She didn't tame me, or anybody else."

Lyla stared at the girl, completely clueless, and the blonde said "See? That's one of the reasons I agreed not to argue with you. It's really sad that you don't get that kind of friendship, it means you've never experienced it, and it makes me feel sorry for you. It's one of the rare things Julie and I agree on as far as you're concerned, you lack girlfriends. Ever since you left the cheerleader squad and after Waverly went back where she came from, you've been very lonely. You should have at least a girlfriend to help you through the break-up."

Lyla didn't answer since she couldn't argue. She had been awfully lonely. It made breaking up with Tim worse because she had lost the only person she had talked to. After some time, she said "So I should thank Julie, right? Just another thing I have to be grateful to her for… This list is getting out of control…"

Tyra smirked but didn't comment.

"Can I ask you something then, Tyra? I thought that since she's your girl and all that, you would be pissed she is so friendly with Tim. I don't get why people who claim they're so protective of the Taylor girl just don't see anything wrong with her hanging out with Tim. I thought you most of all would remember his reputation and old ways.

Lyla felt like a hypocrite speaking such words, but she couldn't help but feel that way, and maybe her orange juice had gotten spiked or something, but she knew she may never have another occasion to talk frankly with Tyra and she wanted to make the best of it.

"I was mad, at first. I didn't want her to fall for him when he was such a jerk. But it's working out. That's the thing I learnt these past few months: not everybody will be good to everybody else," the blonde said with a hand on her hip. "Because that's what it comes down to, in the end: she's good to him, she makes him reach out of his comfort zone, and he is also good to her. He has been the key to her getting along better with her family. They benefit greatly from hanging out together. For example, you and I will never be good to each other, no matter what happens, unless we get a personality change, but she's good to me and to Tim. So even if it pisses me off that they get along so well, and that he'll listen to her when she talks, that he actually tries to be better and worthy of her, things that he never did for me or you, I won't make a fuss about it. The day he starts being bad to her though, I'm coming after his ass and he knows it."

Lyla was disheartened, a hand on her stomach. A part of her had always counted on Tyra to step in and make the Tim and Julie friendship go away. If the Taylors had accepted him as a friend of their daughter, she had counted on Tyra to be the voice of reason. She had been wrong.

"When did that happen?" She asked, motioning to the two teenagers laughing together. "You've seen it too?" She suddenly asked, looking straight in the blonde's eyes, "it's not just a delusion I'm sharing with Saracen?"

"You mean the way they seem to be getting closer and closer? So close that one day they'll wake up and discover they've been in a relationship all along? Yeah, I've seen it too. He comes to get her at my place every time she is over, he's even sat with us at lunch a couple of times. Believe me when I say, I've seen it too. I warned Julie time and time again about how truly poisonous he can be, but he keeps proving me wrong, so who am I to judge what they have going on? It's been a slow process, though it's been more obvious since you guys broke up. At first, he was just a stranger in her house, that she had to tutor, and then it became a friendship. I think he didn't think that highly of her until she confessed to the Coach that he hadn't been trying to get in her bed but only help her go to bed (Lyla made a mental note to enquire about that part another time). He loved the fact that she stood up for him when most girls would have played it low. They started hanging out for things not related to homework after that, and here they are!" The blonde said with a shrug.

"But the touching thing… Were they touching that much when Tim and I were still dating? I thought he wasn't the touchy kind of guy."

"He wasn't either when we were dating. But the Taylors are, and I guess he discovered that he was that kind of guy or something. It used to surprise me the way Julie would jump to hug me whenever I was confessing something bad or good, but now I know that's just the way she was raised to interact. You get used to it pretty quick too, and it's really not that bad. And I guess, yeah, now that you mention it, I guess they have been touching more freely in public since Tim became single again."

"In public?" Lyla asked. "How do you know how they behave in private?"

"They never had to hide it from me. It would have been hypocritical if I said anything since Julie acts the same with me", she said pursing her lips. "Besides, haven't you heard? My boyfriend is all about double dating nowadays… At first he thought we could do it with Julie and Matt, but when he realized that they were done for good, he warmed up to the idea of double dating with Tim and Julie. It doesn't matter that they aren't actually dating, it's just the double dating thing, it makes him feel like we're becoming more mature and adult, and that it means that we're going to make it in the long run. I don't need that kind of crap to know that I won't be getting rid of him or vice versa anytime soon, but I can deal with that. It's okay, we've had fun the few evenings we spent with them. That silly boyfriend of mine," the blonde rolled her eyes.

Lyla browsed the crowd once more as their conversation came to a pause. She met Saracen's eyes, and he then turned his head as if questioning his sanity that he was actually seeing the cozy arrangement Tim and Julie had going on. Tyra saw his gesture and her eyes narrowed.

"I swear," she growled, "can't he get a fucking clue? If he isn't more careful, Tim will kill him."

"It's hard to let go of someone you've loved," Lyla said with true sympathy for the boy.

"But when the other party falls for someone else, you should realize that what you had is dead," Tyra said with a pointed look. "I had to threaten to kick his scrawny ass twice after he tried to corner Julie at school. If he tries it again, then I'll just tell Tim about it. Since Julie only tells him afterwards about Saracen's harassment, he just gets angry, and Julie always makes him swear that he won't retaliate in anyway, which pisses him off even more. The next time Matt corners hers, I'm going straight to Tim so that Julie won't have time to make him promise squat. He needs to finally let go of this dream he has about him and Julie and a fucking picket fence. You and I both know that he doesn't stand a chance. Julie's never gonna be his anymore."

"Just like Tim will never be mine, is that your subtle point?" Lyla asked. "Give me a break. Can't I take a little time to grieve our relationship? I loved Tim…"

"Yeah yeah… Just don't try to interfere. They have a great thing going on. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go back to Landry. There's a Rally girl whose gonna get slapped by yours truly if she doesn't back down."

"Of course. See ya Tyra."

"Whatever."

Lyla quickly finished her drink and then fled from the party. Screw what her mother would say, she just wanted to crawl in her bed with some chocolate and maybe grieve a little more.

 _End Flashback_

"After that party, and when I saw that Tyra had basically given them her blessing, I realized that I couldn't stay anymore. Before the break up, I was hoping to go to A&M but it wasn't an option anymore. So I started looking for new ways to escape Dillon. I heard about India and the volunteers they needed there, so I enrolled in it. I was hoping to escape before Tim and Julie discovered they were in love. Once again, I had rotten luck."


	7. The Cat gets Out Of The Bag

"As I already mentioned, the Panthers didn't make it to State Finals that year. They hadn't either the previous year, but it was acceptable since the Coach had quit for a few months then come back. During my last year of high school, there was more pressure. Everything felt like we could make it again that year, except they didn't. By the end of March, we knew we wouldn't be finalists or semi-finalists. It was a gloomy time, for the players but also for the entire town. It wasn't that we had been playing badly, it was just that we were still recovering from the consequences of the previous year's debacle. Ramifications ran farther than we had thought. Furthermore, some of our finest players were suspended for a couple of games, always at the most inconvenient time. I remember the game in late March when it doomed on everybody that Dillon wouldn't go anywhere near State. It was a decent game, but it lacked some spark, a little extra that would have kept the hope alive.

"I was trying to bond more with my father, knowing that I was going to go away at the end of the school year. He wasn't pleased with my plans, but he went along. I think the previous years had seen too many changes to his liking, and he had thought that if he didn't make too much of a fuss, maybe it would go smoothly. Anyway, we went together to that particular game. By the end of it he was utterly crushed, but he was also worried about the way Santiago would live this failure. He was afraid it was going to take a toll on him or something. Anyway, we waited for him outside the locker-rooms, in the parking lot. The Taylor women were there, all three of them, with Tyra. My father tried to chit-chat lightly with Tami, but his heart wasn't in it, so he gave up and just kept silent. We were all waiting for the team to come out.

 _Flashback_

The semi-silence was awkward, but the conversation would have taken it to a whole new level. Julie and Tyra were holding hands, sometimes exchanging pointed looks or a few ushered words. Gracie was fussing a little.

Lyla stood next to Buddy, who was shaking his head from time to time, having a silent conversation with himself. She wasn't sure she belonged there, in that small crowd. She barely knew Santiago, and the football player she knew the most and would have sympathized with had his complete support team there waiting for him. Tonight though, she had committed herself to spending the evening with Buddy, and she intended to stick to her end of the bargain. Trailing her eyes on the Taylors and Tyra, she couldn't help but think that if Jackie had been there, all the ladies Tim Riggins had loved or had been romantically involved with would be present. She cringed when she realized that even his future love was there, with Julie.

When the team and crew finally emerged from the building, the tension broke, replaced with disappointment and regrets. Tyra quickly made her way quickly to Landry who was chatting grimly with Matt and Smash. The Quarterback looked at Julie with hope but got a sour expression on his face when the blonde barely acknowledged his presence. When Tim got out, wearing his shoulders down like he was carrying the weight of the world there, she flew to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, talking in a low voice that Lyla couldn't make out. Mrs Taylor went to her husband who was just a few steps behind the Fullback. Once more, Lyla was oddly reminded of a war movie, where women were getting back their husbands after a long campaign. There was tears and emotions, the kind that most movies couldn't render. The players' families were waiting a little farther away. But if they were the faithful wives waiting for their brave husbands' return, then who was she? She felt like she was intruding once more, utterly out of place.

Her father had gotten to Santiago and was proceeding to cheer him up, which couldn't be easy since Buddy was just as disappointed as the players about the State Championship. She was standing alone, next to a car that wasn't even her own, and she wished she was already in India where the Church had promised to assign her. With masochistic attention, she noticed the way Tim had buried his head in the crook of Julie's neck and seemed to want to become part of her. She saw the way his arms found their way around her shoulders and waist, the way he was rubbing her back. She saw the girl's eyes shine with tears she wasn't willing to shed, and the brunette briefly wished she could look half as noble and dignified when holding back her own tears. She saw them reluctantly leave each other's arms and just hold hands when the Coach made his way to them. She saw everything, the way Mr Taylor's eyes fell briefly on their joined hands, looking barely startled by their proximity. She also saw how Mrs Taylor didn't seem to mind her daughter's and the Fullback closeness. They all started going back to their car, and when they passed in front of her without noticing she was there, she heard a fragment of their conversation.

"Are we all going back home?" Tami asked.

Julie looked at Tim meaningfully before answering:

"I thought we could go at Jason's for a little while. He couldn't come to the game because he's watching Noah on his own. We could go check on them. Besides, you want to see your Godson, don't you? It will cheer you up."

Tim nodded.

Their voices started fading out. Lyla had heard that Jason had asked him to be Godfather, even though everybody was expecting him to choose Herc for that honour. Tim had been moved and the two boys were working really hard on rebuilding their friendship.

Jason had actually come to see her when they were preparing the baby's baptism. He had wanted to make sure that it wouldn't be too awkward for her to attend.

"We used to think we would have kids together, you know, so I don't want you feeling weird."

She had assured him that she wouldn't feel weird and that she would be happy to attend the celebration and she thanked him for his thoughtfulness. What she didn't tell him was that right then, his worries had been unnecessary since she was too busy grieving the future she had hoped to have with Tim and that in her heart, he was still the only man she wanted to have a future with.

In the end, the baptism had been utter torture for her for other reasons than the ones Jason had thought about. Tim was there and didn't talk to her at all. She was still persuaded that he hadn't even noticed she was attending too. She just never stood a chance: she wasn't sure whether he had brought Julie as his date or if she had been invited with her family to the Baptism, but when he wasn't taking part of the ritual, he was staring at Julie. When he held the baby, he couldn't help but glance at Julie with a proud smile.

A reception had been organized so they spent the rest of the day together, almost glued to each other's side, even when Tim was interacting with Jason and Erin or the rest of the town. This time, the Dillon people started to notice just how close the two teenagers were, but when they saw that neither the Coach nor his wife had a problem with that, they held their tongue. As a result, Lyla spent the whole day suffering in silence; enduring the way people would stare at her after watching the happy couple, like they were waiting for her to break down, either because her first love had become a family man or because her second one was so cosy to the Taylor girl. She kept a fake smile plastered on her face, but she could tell nobody was fooled by it.

When the Baptism had ended, Lyla just wanted to crawl in her bed and never get out.

 _End Flashback_

"The realization that the Panthers were not going to State was a painful one and took some time to mull over. In the mean time, Tim and Julie were joined at the hip. The town was still whispering about them, and I was waiting to see what would happen.

"I did Powderpuff that year again, and Tim coached one of the two teams. Needless to say, he didn't pick me to be on his team, Julie was his first choice. Surprisingly, Tyra was his second. Their team won, and I was left still as depressed but considerably bruised to top it.

"One night, my mother told me that she would be hosting the book club meeting at our place and that she wanted it to be perfect because Mrs. Taylor had promised to show up. I saw an opportunity there, to prevent the Tim and Julie love story to happen. Now that I look back on it, it was well, foolish of me. Anyway, I spent a lot of time with my mom before the meeting and told her about how worried I was for Julie who was being pursued by Tim the womanizer. She was so glad I was talking to her again that she literally drank in my words. I was distorting reality, but I couldn't help myself. I knew I was going to have to ask for penance for my misbehaving.

"When the meeting took place, I stayed in, with my bedroom door open to be able to hear the conversations. My mom had promised that she would try to warn Mrs. Taylor about what was happening with her daughter. Most the night, the women talked about the book of the week, but at some point, the conversation drifted onto other subjects, such as husbands, and family. I was listening very carefully when my mother decided to bring up the Tim and Julie stuff.

 _Flashback_

"Tami, I was wondering about something, if you don't mind me nosing in. How can you feel so good about your daughter's relationship with the Riggins boy?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"I don't want to put you on the spot here, but we all know that this boy...isn't picky about what goes in his bed."

"Excuse me!" Tami exclaimed. "How hypocritical… So, it's okay for your daughter to date Tim Riggins, but my baby can't even be friends with him? How dare you!"

Everybody knew how much of a lioness Tami could be, but they still got surprised when she let her anger fuse.

"I'm sorry," Pam started arguing, feeling threatened, "but when he was dating Lyla, she had a good effect on him. He even got a scholarship. But since they broke up, he went back to his previous devious ways…"

"Oh my god! Are you kiddding me? That boy hasn't done such a thing! He's become really mature these past few months. And do you really think that your daughter is solely responsible for that? We took that boy in, we've taken care of him. My family loves him, I think of him as the son I would have been proud to give my husband… You don't know him, but I do, we do. You only know of the prejudice Dillon has against him. I'm sorry your daughter didn't manage to make it work with him, but don't badmouth him. Seriously, women, what is wrong with you all? So my Julie and Tim are getting closer. That's none of your goddamn business. If they get together, I will be proud of them and it still won't be any of your business. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to my family, since this isn't a book club meeting anymore…"

Tami left as fast as humanly possible, fury radiating from her.

Lyla closed the door to her room, tears streaming down her cheeks. She buried her head in her hands and wept. Tim would have been so proud to hear Mrs. Taylor call him her son. How could she have formed such a petty plan? She was such a bad person, not to mention a bad Christian. She would go to Church as soon as possible the next morning to confess her sins.

 _End Flashback_

"Needless to say, my mother was really mad at me. Because of the crap I'd lead her to believe, her meeting had been a disaster and the other club members held her responsible for making Tami quit. So yeah, not my brightest move.

"Just a couple of weeks after that event, and maybe a week before graduation, I received an unforeseen visitor."

 _Flashback_

Dinner had been awkward, once more. Some days, Lyla felt like that word could become the slogan of her life. Her mother hadn't forgotten about the book club disaster and was still staring daggers at her across the table every time she remembered the shame she had endured that night. After she had done the dishes, Lyla made her way to her bedroom when there was a knock on the door.

Since her siblings were in their room upstairs, and her mom and her new husband were too busy cuddling on the couch they hadn't heard it, she went to open the door.

Not gaping was an accomplishment when she saw that Julie Taylor was on her doorstep.

"Good evening, Lyla," the girl said with a certain confidence.

The brunette found herself envying her once more. When she was not jealous of her relationship to certain football player, she would envy the girl's posed behavior, or the way her skin always seemed to glow.

"Julie," she greeted her back. "Do you want to come in?"

"No, thank you, I'll be very quick, Tyra is waiting in the car to drive me home."

"What can I do for you then?" Lyla asked, not quite sure the scene wasn't a dream.

"Tim and I are going public tomorrow. We've been dating for some time and since my parents are being extremely supportive, we decided it was time to let Dillon know, that we didn't need to hide anymore.

Lyla felt like the blonde had kicked her to the plexus, she could barely breathe. She uttered:

"Why are you telling me this?"

"It's just a curtesy. I hated it when I discovered at school that Matt was dating again, it really made me feel like crap. I didn't want you to get the same revelation and discomfort if I could prevent it, you don't deserve it, so I'm letting you know. This way, you'll be able to pretend you knew about it before hand tomorrow at school when stupid nose-browsers will come to pick on you. And we both know they will, this is Dillon after all."

She felt new found respect for the younger girl and nodded. The blonde did the same with solemnity. She could almost forget the girl was just a year younger than she was, she seemed so much more mature at times.

A honk broke their respectful stare and Julie went back to being a 17 years old girl when she ran to Tyra's car (the girl had been growing impatient), saying something like "Later Lyla!".

She closed the door while the blonde jumped in the car. She then proceeded to lock herself in her bedroom, preparing herself for the dreadful day that tomorrow would be at school.

When she went to DHS the next day, Lyla couldn't help but be thankful for Julie's warning. Gossip traveled fast, and when she stepped in the hall, she could tell everybody knew about her ex and Julie being together from the way people were staring at her. She decided to keep her head high, pretending that the whispers didn't make her slightly paranoid (though it wasn't really paranoia if they were actually out to get you she reasoned). She started avoiding people's stare after reading pity in a couple of glances. She hated pity, especially when she was its target.

She saw Tyra and Landry near his lockers, talking idly about the day to come and the plans they had. When their eyes met, the blonde didn't snark or anything, making everything even more dreadful than it already was. The two girls simply shared a knowing look, and Lyla gulped with anxiety.

Walking down the corridors to get to her classroom, she noticed students and even some teachers were crowding a certain section of the hallway though they all tried their hardest to pretend there was a good reason for them to be there. When she was spotted, whispers got louder and pitiful looks were thrown at her: she could feel them boring in her back and her face, almost worming their way into her heart.

She didn't stop walking, her head still high, trying to look more proud than she felt, but from the corner of her eyes, she saw what was causing the commotion: Tim and Julie were at her locker, chatting in low voices as she emptied her backpack. Lyla couldn't help but slow down her step to see more of their interactions. The blonde got the book she needed for her next class and closed the door. Tim put his arm around her shoulder, then stared defiantly at all the bystanders, either male or female, scrutinizing them, Lyla included. He hugged the girl closer to him and she grabbed his waist, her hand caressing his hip softly as if to appease him.

They started walking, in each other's arm to her class. Lyla turned around to watch them, at the exact time when Tim stooped down to kiss Julie with passion in front of the classroom. The brunette watched with envy as the blonde's hands went immediately to his hair, running her fingers through it with delight. People who didn't know better overlooked Tim's mane, but Lyla, and Julie obviously, knew that it was part of his animalistic magnetism. They also both knew how erogenous it was to him.

When he finally released her, the blonde's cheeks were a little pinker but she was undeniably proud of herself. She ran a hand across his face, oblivious to the people watching, and he leant in her touch. She rose on her toes to kiss his mouth quickly then smiled her 1000 watts-grin at him. He beamed back and they parted ways as the second bell rang. He walked carelessly to his own class as she stepped in the room.

The bell had woken Lyla from her glaze, and she ran her own way. She couldn't help but miss everything: like the fact that she used to be his girl, that she used to be the one allowed to touch his hair, and just missing him plainly in the end.

 _End Flashback_

"It was nice of Julie to warn you," Holly said cautiously.

"It really was. It was already so hard walking down the damn hall knowing why people were staring, it would have been much worse to just discover with the rest of the town that what I had been dreading had indeed happened."

"I then proceeded to block myself completely from the outside world; I didn't even watch them anymore. I have almost no recollection of graduation, and when I look at those pictures, I have trouble believing I was there and actually attended it. I flew to India as soon as possible, where I then busied myself with volunteering, and where I tried to see what I wanted my life to be about. Tim had never been mine, no matter what I had wanted to believe, and Jason was then his son's and Erin's. I needed to figure out who I was, who Lyla was. When I came back for a visit two years later, I had some thinking done, but even today, I still haven't thought everything through."


	8. The End Of The Confession

"So I went to India, and it was amazing, but I'll spare you the details, because it's not relevant to this story. Volunteering was a more than full-time job, and I was beginning to really miss my family, so when one of us volunteers had to go back to the USA to get dozens of stuff, I asked to be the one to go home. It was a little over two years since I had left."

"When I got back to Dillon, it was so strange, but at the same time, it was home. People would stare at me in the streets and sometimes even came to catch up with me. I guess it felt awkward because the town had decided that I had gone just to do the Christian thing when really at some point it became about escaping everything: the town, Tim, Julie, football, everything."

"My siblings were delighted to see me, as were my parents. I realized I had even missed my mother's new husband. My parents wanted to throw me a welcome home party, but I was only staying for ten days so there was no point, and I was kinda dreading who they would want to invite."

"When in Mumbai, I had bonded with fellow volunteers, I had made some friends, even some girlfriends. I didn't date because I didn't feel like it, but when I learnt that I was coming back to Dillon for a visit, I suddenly remembered I had been celibate for two years. And though I didn't want to hope for anything, I wanted to know if Tim and Julie had managed to make it work, and if they hadn't, if Tim would be single too when I would be in Dillon. It was just crazy, I would only be staying for ten days, but I had a hard time pushing those thoughts away."

"Anyway, when I got to Dillon, I had a lot to do: catch up with my family, collect the stuff I had been sent to gather, etc… Since I didn't have many friends when I had left, I only went to see Jason. He was back in Dillon too, for some vacation with Erin and Aaron. We arranged to meet at a coffee a little out of town and started catching up."

 _Flashback_

Lyla listened with a smile on her face to what Jason's story about Noah's first words and laughed a little. Only two years had gone, but she had missed so much… She chuckled at the punch line of the anecdote, feeling something close to nostalgia.

Her friend then proceeded to tell her about his son's first steps and also about his first bouts of mischief.

"I swear," Jason said, "sometimes I wonder if we did the right thing asking Tim to be his godfather. He's been busy these past years, but each time he offers to baby-sit Noah, the baby always comes back having learnt some new trick that will drive me crazy. Thank God Julie babysits with him, she must keep him from making my kid too perverted."

'They're still together?" Lyla asked, her heart beating madly.

"Yeah, as strong as ever," Jason said with a proud smile on face. "I'm sorry, I 'm not being mean unknowingly or something? You are over him, right?"

"Sure. I'm just a little surprised they're still together. Not that they don't fit, it's just that when I left, Tim was going to A&M and Julie still had a year of high school to get through. It's usually really hard to maintain a relationship when one's in college and the other isn't."

"Oh, they managed, believe me. Since the Coach and Mrs Taylor were really supportive, they made it work. You known the A&M campus isn't so far from Dillon, so whenever he didn't need to hit the university library, he would come back. He kept on missing all the frat parties that first year. Julie did as well, she would drive to see him as often. They handled their semi-separation with dexterity. Julie got in A&M after graduation, and they have opted to move out of the dorms and together into one of the couple lodgings. If Tm wasn't their star Fullback, I'm not sure they would have been allowed to do so, it's usually for married couples and stuff."

"Wow… they moved fast. Didn't the Taylors have any objection to their daughter living in sin with her boyfriend?" Lyla asked, dazzled.

"You were gone, so you didn't witness it, but in the past two years they have been together, Tim and Julie showed great maturity, not to mention certifiable commitment. Dillon may think that they are living in sin but the Taylors are fine with it. I'm not saying the Coach didn't have some major objection at first, but he got convinced that it was better to let them move in together and settle down a little rather than make them run around the campus, in each other's dorm to be together. I had never noticed how close Tim had gotten to the Taylors, but he earned their confidence, so in the end, the Coach agreed to their plans."

"That's good. So he is happy?"

"Yes, he is. I wouldn't have believed it a couple of years ago, but we all grew up and went our own ways, in directions we couldn't have foreseen then."

"Do you think he's going to propose?" Lyla heard herself asking. "I mean, you did propose to Erin, right? Do you think he's going to follow your example?"

"I find it doubtful, really. I had a baby with the woman so I had to adapt faster. Tim has changed, but he didn't become as naïve as say, Matt Saracen, who once admitted to me when under major influence that he had always thought that he would propose really soon to Julie after high school. Poor boy."

"How is he nowadays? He can't still be pining for the Taylor girl."

"He went to Annapolis to become an officer, he's following in his father's footsteps. I really don't think it was his calling, but his grandmother's health and sanity is getting poorer, and he needed to have her put in a medical facility, which cost money. Military universities are the only one where you get paid for studying, so he did what he had to do for his family. He spent his last year of high school trying to come up with better solutions but it didn't work out. Besides, after he tried to put the moves while drunk on a very non-consenting Julie, he realized it was time to move on, preferably elsewhere."

"Don't you sympathize a little with him? I mean the boy was in love, you don't simply move out of it."

"You don't, but when the one your love doesn't love you back anymore, or falls for somebody else, you have to weigh the pros and cons but generally, you have no choice but to set them free. I let you get together with Tim, didn't you do the same when Tim chose Julie?"

"I guess," she shrugged.

"But really, I don't blame him," Jason went on, "I blame Dillon. That's what I learnt, living in Dallas. There are some good things that come from living and being raised there, but we also had it so much worse than plain kids. Football is not a sport, it's a divine hobby there, and we were shaped and thought of according to football. Matt was QB1, which made him more worthy of dating the Coach's daughter. When Julie fell for Tim, it messed with the perfect picture the town had planned for them, so everybody started coaching Matt into believing that he would get her back. He let them do, let their rumors fill his fantasies. He realized what he had been doing after the pathetic drunk accident, and it was better late than never. When Tim kicked his ass for hitting on his girlfriend, and when he saw how scared Julie had been of him, he suddenly realized that he had been playing a part the town had written for him. So he left. He actually told Tim a while later that he kinda wished he had kicked his ass sooner, like the year before, so that he could have gotten his act together sooner, that he could have discovered that he was being played like a puppet sooner."

"I remember Tyra once telling me that Julie was trying her best to keep Tim from beating Matt up."

"That kinda proves both Matt's and my point. The town expected the fight to take place, it thought that Julie would go back to Matt, horrified by the violence Tim would have expressed. That's one of the reasons the town was so shocked by the Tim and Julie relationship: Dillon had been pulling everybody's strings, possibly without even knowing it, out of habit but when they decided to be together, they disrupted the kind of perfect town act it had going. My injury and your conversion had disturbed it too, but to a lesser degree when you had gotten with Tim and proceeded to be the good Christian around him. I guess the town can adapt a little. Julie and Tim refused to have their strings pulled. I'm not sure it would have been possible if the Taylors had lived in Dillon all along and if Tim hadn't been constantly kept at arms' length except when needed for his football skills. But it's good, the fact that Dillon just doesn't get its way, that people can chose to follow a different path. Besides, it gives the town more life, it reaches out of its comfort zone. Mark my words, in ten to fifteen years, even though the kids won't have a clue, they will be benefiting everyday from the consequences of the town scandal that was the Tulie business."

He laughed when he saw her startled expression.

"You've been gone for so long!" he exclaimed for the umpteenth time that day. "When Tim and Julie had to face Dillon's wrath that first year, Erin started calling them the Tulie item, and it kinda stuck."

 _End Flashback_

"Cute," Holly said but then frowned. "You must have been devastated."

"Yeah, but at the same time, what Jason said really made sense. Dillon has always been like a third party in all relationships I've had, and I accepted that. I always thought it came with dating a Panther. I realized that it didn't have to be this way. Anyway, that fed my reflections for a while. It was like a new light had been shed on my failed love story with Tim. A few days later, I went back to India. I didn't come back until three years later, this time for good, with the intent to enroll in college. If I'm a little honest, the delay wasn't innocent. In the past five years, Tim would have had the time to complete his courses and graduate."

"Anyway, I came back for my siblings, but mostly for myself. It was time to face the past's ghosts and move on. Mumbai was perfect, but I wouldn't have been able to do it if my parents hadn't provided for me for so long. When my father had his accident and almost lost his life, it was a wake-up call. My family had supported me, it was time for me to repay the favor. I got first in community college then in here. Let's skip the details of my homecoming. A few weeks after I had enrolled at university and moved back, I had to go to the Dillon County mall for some insignificant shopping. I had managed so far to avoid everybody from high school, even though I had been informed by my dad about where they were all at. It was the first time in five years I met with any of the two I was dreading the most to see again.

 _Flashback_

Saying that it felt weird to be there again was nothing short of a euphemism. Lyla clenched the shopping list in her hand, hoping she could get it done in a minimum time, so that she could escape all the staring. In her apartment complex, people were either too young or too old to remember the way she had left Dillon all those years ago, and for that she was grateful. Here, people remembered her: She could have sworn that the twenty something year old woman staring a hole in her back while pacifying her two toddlers had been a Rally girl when she herself was a cheerleader. She realized that for her, time had stopped when she had stepped in Mumbai, but obviously it had kept running for people in Dillon. When she had visited, a few years ago, she hadn't gotten that feeling since she had avoided everybody but Jason, but now she saw it.

She hastened her pace and got into a cosmetic shop, intending to grab a nice bottle of perfume for Tabby's birthday. She stood for a few minutes in front of the huge stand, blaming capitalism for the extreme variety of fragrances available.

A younger girl ran in her direction, past her to another display.

"Gracie! Be careful!" She heard. "I'm sorry, my sister is slightly over enthusiastic today and… Lyla?"

It may have been five years, but strangely, she remembered that voice clearly. She turned around to face the apologetic woman and said:

"Hello Julie."

The girl, -woman she amended-, had aged slightly but oh so gracefully. She still had long hair but it was pulled in a messy bun on top of her head. Her freckles were shining significantly, giving her juvenile charm on top of healthy. The blonde's beauty had blossomed and matured over the years.

"Woah… It's been so long," the blonde said before screaming: "Come back here Gracie, you won't find what you're looking for there. Sorry," she said to Lyla, "I didn't mean to tear your eardrums, but that kid is on a sugar high, and it's exhausting. How have you been? I heard you were in India."

"I was," Lyla answered, scrutinizing the girl's face, amazed by her transformation.

She hadn't expected Julie to remain as she was when 16 forever, but it felt weird. She was exuding confidence and happiness.

"I came back a few weeks ago, I'm going to attend college here. Is that really Gracie?" She asked, pointing to the little girl playing with makeup.

"Yep, I know. One minute, they're cute, having the time of their life trying to make their whole hand fit in their mouth, and the next, they're running everywhere and demanding attention."

Lyla chuckled a little.

"What brings you here?" she asked.

"My mother's birthday. We're just picking up some bath oils for her and I need to get a refill for my perfume," Julie said while keeping a close eye on the little girl. "What about you?"

"My sister's birthday is coming up, and since I've been out of the loop for the past few years when it comes to music and movies, I figured a perfume would be a safe bet. Do you have any advice for me?"

"This one," Julie said pointing to a weirdly shaped bottle, "is supposed to be the next Nina Ricci."

Lyla checked it quickly then grabbed a new packaged bottle and said:

"Thanks, you just saved my day. So what have you been up to?"

"Not much," Julie said. "I'm starting my last year of college, where I'm getting an English lit degree. I'm at A&M. I've been going from one crappy internship at a newspaper to another, trying to figure out what my calling is. I'm sure you have much more exciting stories to tell."

A phone beeping interrupted them, and she grabbed her cell phone to read the text message she had received. She then motioned to her little sister to come back. The blonde girl bounced back to them, grinning.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Tim found the movie and the CD we were looking for in Dallas, so you just need to pick the bath salts and we'll be all set."

"Cool!" she exclaimed before going to sniff all the bath products available in the shop to make her choice.

"How is Tim?" Lyla asked, hoping she was sounding as casual as she wanted to be.

"Good. He was just in Dallas to sign his contract. He's been recruited by the Cow Boys, have you heard?"Julie asked with a proud smile.

"Yeah, I think I read it somewhere," Lyla said.

The Dillon newspaper had made its front page with that piece of news and was making regular update on it those past few days.

"He must be thrilled," the brunette commented.

"He is. He's also a little nervous about all the changes that are gonna take place then, but he will be fine. Besides, we're working on the details. Since I won't have too many classes, we're leaving campus for good, and we're looking for a place in the Dallas suburbs. Moving is gonna be a bitch, but we'll manage…"

"I'm sure you will. It's really cool that you guys are working out," Lyla said, wondering if it was indeed something appropriate for her to say.

"We're good," Julie said with a shrug, seeming to wonder herself what would be a good answer to that statement.

"You've been together for what, five years now?"Lyla said, pretending to think hard to come up with the right length. "Any plans of marriage? Has he proposed?"

"Yeah, quite a few times already, but since it was mostly post-coital or after a really good meal I cooked, it doesn't really count as a proper proposal, or at least I have discarded it as such," Julie said, a little defensively.

Lyla realized quickly than her attempt at being casual had been misinterpreted as rude. Julie didn't seem to want to get in a fight, but she wouldn't stand idle while her man wasn't getting the proper respect he deserved. To top it all, the inquiry about their future plans had also been seen as aggressive, and the blonde wasn't having any of it.

"I mean, we've discussed getting married a few times," the blonde said, "but right now the timing isn't right. We were too young before, and now I need to finish school. I think we'll discuss it more seriously when I graduate. We're in no hurry, you know? We've made it for five years so far without getting hitched, and it has been five great years. I'm sure we could do it another five years in the same fashion. I mean, I don't want to gloat, but what we have is already perfect, so why rush things?" she said, rubbing her nose. "What about you?"

"I'm single right now, but it's cool. I need to settle back before jumping back into the dating game."

Both women kept silent, the awkwardness of the situation becoming too obvious to overlook. They didn't know what they were supposed to say next, there were just too many eggshells begging to be stepped on… Lyla looked around before eyeing the bags the blonde was holding, hoping that a mark could become their next topic of conversation, when a box with a distinctive logo in a cheap drug store bag caught her attention. Julie saw her glance and shifter her bags around to hide it.

'Let's go with this one," Gracie said, reappearing from nowhere. "I've picked honey. Mommy loves honey, right?" she asked her sister.

"Yes, she does. It's perfect. Let's go pay."

She took the little girl's hand and said:

"It was nice to see you again Lyla. I hope things will work out for you."

"Likewise."

"And maybe the next we meet, we'll move pass the awkwardness and have a real nice chat… This was a little too weird. See you around Lyla," she said, while going to the cash register.

Lyla simply nodded and pretended to look at the perfume display some more, waiting to give enough time to the Taylors women to pay and leave before she went to pay herself.

"What a crappy day," she thought on her way out. "Crappy, crappy, crappy."

 _End Flashback_

"Julie wouldn't have been herself if she hadn't commented on the uneasiness, she's too much like her mother in that way," Lyla said with a smirk.

"But why did it get so strange?"

"I think it was my fault. I had no idea how to interact with her. Maybe it was because she didn't get my meaning, or maybe it was because she caught me checking out the pregnancy test she had bought. Anyway, that's all there is. It's the end of that story.

"That's it?"

"Yep. That was the last time I saw either one of them. That's the end of the pathetic story of Tim and Lyla. Don't tell me I need to move on, I'm painfully aware of that, I'm just kinda stuck. I know that he has moved on, and that I should do the same," she said, motioning to the discarded newspaper. "I wish he wasn't so in my face all the time though."

"Stop reading the sport section for starters," Holly offered.

"You made me! Plus, he was once in the food section. Turns out he can really cook, he bought a small restaurant where he is the chef a night a week. It's part of his plan for when he retires from football. How was I supposed to expect to read about him there? Really?"

"Hot, a man who can cook… Sorry, I was just spacing out. Anyway, thank you for telling me your story, a lot of things make sense now. But be assured that you can count on me. We'll make you move on, you and I. So he was never yours, but at least you see it now. You confessed everything, it's the perfect opportunity to put old dreams and fantasies to rest."

"I'm not sure I can. I want to, but it's been so long…."

"Yeah, ten years. And you haven't seen him once in flesh in all this time. We're moving Lyla Garrity, you and I. I won't let you wallow in despair. We should have a Colin Firth marathon tonight, it will get the mood off…"

"I do love his accent…"

Holly stood proud, with her hands on her hips, thinking about all the things she had learnt about her roommate today. It was a whole new side of her she had been introduced too then, and she thought about the things they could do to try and get Lyla out of the depressing mood she had been lately.

"So, Colin Firth tonight. Good, I'll go pick some ice-cream and… .wait, didn't you say something about a pregnancy test?"


	9. The Wedding Aka Where We Meet Little P

_Almost a year later…_

"It was perfect," Lyla said, holding the phone to her ear while trying to diminish the damage made to her make-up. "Daddy was looking so good, and Tabby was so happy, it was really perfect, there are no words. I don't care if I'm looking like a zebra now, it was worth it."

"I'm really glad to hear it," Holly said with a smile in her voice. "Take pictures at the reception so I can drool over her dress and over how happy she looked."

"I will. I should go back though, my bridesmaids duties are not over. And I really need to take these shoes off, they'll be the death of me."

"Ok," the other woman laughed. "Don't forget about the pictures and give me a call later."

"Will do. Talk to you later Holly."

She hung up the phone with a great smile on her face, then made a final check: she had managed to wipe off the mascara blurs on her cheeks and was looking human again. She tucked the cell phone back in her purse then made her way back to the gardens were the reception was being held.

The day she had waited for had finally come, and earlier that morning, Tabby and Bo had exchanged vows in front of their whole families, friends, and most of the town. Her little sister was officially Mrs Miller now, and she had seen her father shed a few proud tears when they had been introduced as husband and wife.

Lyla had been of the maid of honor and had helped the best she could with the wedding's preparations. She had graduated a little less than a year ago and had moved back to Dillon for good. Today was a beautiful day for her sister, but it was also a personal success for Lyla who had had a lot of free time when she had graduated from college and had spent most of that time planning the wedding. Since they both had the same ideas on what made a beautiful ceremony and what were deal breakers, the two sisters had been able to work hand in hand to prepare that day. They had taken in consideration the few demands Bo had made ("not too stuffy", "I'm wearing a tux but no bow tie, I don't want to look like I escaped from that penguin movie") and the few demands his mother had made, like for Tabby to wear her grand-mother's necklace, but for the rest they got free-reign on the whole day. Buddy had given them a pretty high budget, explaining with a shrug and a blush that he had been saving money for a wedding ever since Lyla had turned sixteen and had started dating Jason Street. Lyla had gladly given her sister this budget for her big day.

So far, the whole thing was happening according to their plans, and for that they were grateful. The only thing they hadn't taken into account was just how much uncomfortable the bridesmaids' shoes would turn out to be after a couple of hours. Lyla briefly wondered if the other girls were hurting that much but didn't feel like asking them. The only thing she felt like doing was finding a chair where she would untie the strap from death off her feet.

As per Bo's request, they had decided on having an outside buffet rather than an indoor three-course meal for the reception. People were slowly setting in the gardens, seating wherever they wanted. Lyla slumped in the first empty chair she saw and took of her stiletto shoes with a relieved sigh. She looked around her and waved at some people she knew, while massaging her sore feet discretely. Bo and Tabby were receiving congratulations and best wishes from their guests a little farther away. It was the moment the girl had dreaded the most, standing there and waving and smiling like a princess on display.

She didn't know how long she stayed there, watching the newlyweds accomplish this chore, but at some point, when she looked on the side, she saw that Julie Riggins had gotten a seat a few tables from her. She was alone, one hand holding a bottle of water while the other rested on her heavily pregnant belly.

She weighed the pros and cons, thought about the last time they had talked and the awkwardness she had felt. She pondered what to do for a few minutes, before putting her bare feet in the grass, loving how it felt, then made her way to the woman, her shoes in hands.

"Do you mind?" she asked, motioning to a free chair, as a way to make her presence known. "Hey Julie!"

"Hey Lyla!" The woman said with a very bright smile on her face. "Have a seat, go ahead!"

"How are you? What did you think of the ceremony?"

"It was really nice, really noble. You did a great job planning it, congratulations! I told Tabby how much I loved it just a few minutes ago, and she told me it was all your doing. She's glowing!"

"She should be," Lyla said, "it's her wedding day!"

"As for how I am… Well," the blonde said, slowly rubbing her belly with a sweet smile, "I am as fine as one can be while carrying a baby who keeps kicking her bladder. You know, the usual."

Lyla laughed along sincerely and said:

"You look amazing. Plus, remember that you'll get to scold it for all the trouble you will have had to go through with your pregnancy, for the rest of its life."

"I'm really counting on it. I used to hate when my mom gave me those long sermons about how long the delivery lasted for me and all, but I really can't wait to admonish this one with all the miseries I went through. Does that make me a future bad mother?"

"Nope, just an eager one. Do you have enough water? Do you want something to eat?" the brunette asked, ready to go find something for her.

"Don't worry, I sent people to get me all I needed. But let's talk about you," the blonde said, grabbing her hand. "How have you been? It's been so long! My mother told me she hired you a couple of months ago for the guidance counseling office. How do you like it?"

"It's been great, really," Lyla said with a broad smile. "The kids are great, the teachers are nice, and so are my colleagues, it's really cool. Plus, I was assigned the office your mom used to have. I don't care if it was a coincidence of some sort, but I'm really proud about it. I sit behind that desk as if I were a queen. I feel like I'm filling in her shoes, you know? Like really following her footsteps. I'm hoping I make just half as much of an impression as she did by the end of my career!" she said with a humble expression.

"That's so great!" Julie laughed with her, pressing her hand a little tighter. "Does she know about that?"

"Yep. When she made me come in to tell me I had gotten the job, I had a Tami fangirl moment when I just babbled on and on about how great of an influence she had been and how proud she just made me… Your poor mom looked touched, but mostly uncomfortable by my tirade."

"I'm sure she didn't! She must have been so proud that… Ugh," she huffed holding her stomach tighter. "I thought we had already discussed that. Kicking my bladder is already inexcusable, don't start kicking my kidney to top it all. I can use the bathroom but I can't rub my sore kidneys, so don't be mean. Sorry," she said, grimacing at Lyla, "sometimes I talk to the baby out loud."

"Don't worry, it's okay. Is it kicking now?"

Instead of answering, Julie just grabbed the hand she had been holding and pressed it on top of her overstretched tummy. Just a few seconds later, Lyla felt a sharp blow and exclaimed:

"Wow! That's some healthy kick! How far along are you? Do you know what it is?"

"We don't want to know until it's born, and I'm eight months along already. I mean, I hate it when barely pregnant women complain about how big they've gotten, but I think I can do that with certain legitimacy. I haven't seen my feet for at least two months, if not more, except for the one time when I sprained an ankle in a weird way. It hurt like hell, but I got a glimpse at my left foot. It made me feel slightly better since they haven't swelled up, like some women's from my Lamaze class. I may look like some kind of whale, but I still have the cutest toes ever."

The proud expression on the blonde's face was just priceless, and Lyla had to laugh.

"That's still good to know. You're lucky, my own feet are killing me."

"You look really nice in that dress," Julie said, "but those shoes look so good that they have to be lethal in some way."

"They are indeed. I have a question I need to ask, I hope you won't mind… I have a friend I told everything about high school that will kill me if I don't ask. Is this one your first child? Were you pregnant before?"

"What? Why? Oh!" The blonde exclaimed. "You saw that pregnancy test last time we met, right? I wasn't pregnant then. I was worried I might be, which may have made me extra bitchy."

"Don't worry. So this one is the first of the Riggins-Taylor brood?"

"Yeah. When we thought I might be pregnant all those years ago, Tim and I kept telling ourselves and each other that if I was indeed with child, we could do it, it would be okay and that it was just Nature sending us a message, that we could and were ready for that next step. When the test turned negative, we were so happy, we knew we had been feeding ourselves bullshit. We were so not ready. We needed more time to settle down. But this baby," she said with a hand on her belly, "was no accident. We both have jobs and we're finally ready for that step."

"What do you do for a living? I just realized that I have no idea."

"I'm a food critic, and I'm also writing children books. I'm looking for an editor right now."

"Food critic, huh?"

"Yeah, I know, it was so unexpected. I was writing a sports column when one of my colleagues in charge of the culinary reviews got sick. She asked me to go and try a new restaurant, and I accepted, mostly because I was hungry as hell. It was supposed to be a typical Texan family restaurant, but I found the food seriously lacking. I was just too used to Tim's delicious cooking, and I wrote a very negative, on the verge of nasty, review. My editor liked it, and so did I in the end. We decided to give it another try, I got another assignment and I wrote another great article. I then got transferred for good to the food section. I'm actually really good at this, you know? When I go into a restaurant, people get chills, they're a little afraid of me. It's annoying when I'm just coming in to grab lunch, but it also comes in handy. I tested a lot of restaurants at the beginning of my pregnancy, I was eating so much that you could have fed a third world country with what I was eating. So I ate my fill almost every day before I went into maternity leave, and they publish my reviews at a slower rhythm so that I can still get paid while I'm away. I'm not always mean in my critics, it's just that Tim spoilt me when it comes to food."

"That's really great. I never expected you to go this way, but I'm glad you found something you liked."

The brunette noticed a ring on the blonde's left hand.

"I knew you had gotten married when I had to address your invitation to Mr. and Mrs. Riggins, but tell me more… He finally proposed? When did you get married?"

"He did propose. Four years ago, he gave me this ring," she said pointing to an elegant ring on her middle finger. "A little less than a year later, we got married in Grandma Ruby's backyard. It was perfect. Ruby was so happy that we had chosen to get hitched at her place, but to us it made a lot of sense. She always knew we would get together, even when we didn't think it was a possibility. Anyway, we didn't want it to be a big business, so we only invited my family, Billy, -I was so glad when Jackie couldn't come because of a work problem-, Jason, Tyra and their respective families."

"I know how Jay is doing, but tell me more about Tyra!"

"She's in Albuquerque, she went into politics. She's working for the mayor's office, but she's also into lobbying. She married Landry, who's a science teacher now, about six years ago, and they have two young daughters. They asked me to be Godmother to the twins, and Matt is the Godfather. He's in the military now. He did a complete cliché thing and got married to a girl he met while on a mission in Pakistan. They live near Washington and they have a son."

"Hey Babe," Tim said, appearing next to the two women. "Hey Lyla!"

The brunette felt a myriad of emotion go through her. He was handsome, as always, in semi-formal clothes. His hair was shorter than she remembered and his features were more defined, but he still exuded the Tim Riggins magnetism. Lyla smiled sweetly at him, feeling completely at peace for the first time in a decade.

"Hello Tim. What did you think of the ceremony?"

"It was great," he answered while getting a chair to sit next to his wife, grabbing her hand.

He kissed it gently, with reverence then asked:

"How are you? Is Little P. behaving?"

"Not really, but it's okay, I just received a few nasty kicks. Other than that, I'm fine!" the blonde beamed at her husband.

"Little P.?" Lyla asked with a smirk.

The couple looked at her with a proud smile and Julie explained:

"Whether it likes it or not, at some point of its life, this baby will either play for the Panthers or for the Powderpuffs."

"That's so cute! Wait, the Panthers? Does that mean you're thinking about moving back here?" Lyla asked.

Tim looked at Julie with love-filled eyes then answered:

"We're considering it, maybe in a couple of years. My contract is going to end in about two years, and I'm not sure I want it renewed. Besides, if we're having a son, we couldn't let him play in a lame team like the Wildcats or the Fierce Antelopes, or something as pussy-sounding. The Panthers are the only team with a decent name."

"We just need to work on some details," Julie said, "but yeah, we could find ourselves moving back at some point; this town wasn't always nice to us but our family is here, you know?"

Lyla just smiled, understanding what she meant: when she had first left for India, she had thought she would never come back to Dillon, but now, there she was.

"Where is my food?" Julie asked her husband with a serious expression on her face.

"It's on its way," he answered chuckling. "Your mom is piling up all the food you like from the buffet, and the Coach is breathing down the neck of the poor guy in charge of the barbecue, he's making sure he doesn't screw up with your steak."

"Trust my folks to go overboard," Julie blushed.

"They just want what's best for you and their first grandchild," Tim said with a loving smirk.

"Babe, I know we're in public, but do you think you could…?" Julie asked.

He nodded with a smile, and he made her turn around a little so he could massage her sore back. The blonde closed her eyes then moaned a little.

"You must be eager for the baby to be born," Lyla commented with a grin.

"A little, but at the same time… I wasn't small when I was born, and neither was Gracie. According to Billy, the Riggins boys were basically monsters at birth, so I'm a little worried about the delivery."

Tim tenderly kissed the crook of her neck and said:

"Don't worry. It'll be alright."

There was a definite uncertainty in his eyes, showing that he was worried too, but Julie turned her head to catch his eyes and said:

"I know."

Lyla was amazed by how serene she felt, watching their display of affection but it also made her happy. She was happy for them, they were so obviously as in love as they were all those years ago, if not more. But she was also happy to have made it there.

She excused herself, promising that she would see them later and went to get some food at the buffet. She sat at a table to eat it. When she looked around, she saw that the Taylors had come back with food to feed a small army. Gracie was holding cutlery for everybody. They settled at a nearby table to have their lunch. Both the Taylors were fussing over Julie and Tim, who were happy and laughing. Tim's hand was on his wife stomach, feeling their baby kick, and he would sometimes lean down to talk to it.

Lyla smiled, proud of herself for having moved on. Her heart wasn't aching or clenching. Holly would surely be proud too.

"Mind if I join you?" Santiago asked with a somewhat shy smile on his face.

"Go ahead," Lyla answered with the biggest smile on hers, then said: "I never thanked you for taking care of my family when I was gone."

"It was my honor and pleasure," he said solemnly.

"But let me say it," she argued. "Thank you."

She then placed her hand on top of his, feeling a surge of heat run through her body. He had felt it too she could tell and he smiled:

"You're welcome, Lyla."

She felt a shiver run down her spine when he said her name. She blushed but smiled a doe smile at him as she thought to herself that, as unexpected as it was, there was something there, something worth exploring.

A little less than a month a later, on a Sunday morning, Lyla got woken up by her cell phone beeping. She read the text message she had received through sleepy eyes and smiled:

"What is it, babe?" Santiago asked pressing into her back, his nose buried in her hair.

"Julie gave birth to a little Joshua Eric Riggins last night," she said while melting into his embrace.

"Cool. We'll send them flowers when it's a more decent hour."

She silently agreed and went back to sleep in the comfort of his arms.

 

The End

 

 _And it's done! I hope whoever will read this will enjoy it!_


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